[An exclusive interview with George Foss, former general manager of Kayser Nutrition, southern California’s health food store chain to the wealthy and famous for 52 years. George has been called a “walking repository of nutritional supplement research knowledge,” and is a long-time consultant to the nutritional supplement industry. Featured on a variety of television and radio news broadcasts over the past 20 years, he is widely considered by west coast news media outlets to be the nutritional supplement industry’s “go to” guy on natural health topics.]
Steve Barwick: George, I understand that today you are going to reveal four simple yet very powerful ways to dramatically maximize the energy-boosting benefits of D-Ribose. We’ll get to that in just a minute. But first, could you help us understand how D-Ribose helps people regain youthful energy levels – particularly people who suffer from either age-related energy deficit disorders or disease-induced energy deficit disorders?
George Foss: Well, first of all, people with disease-induced energy deficit disorders -- such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, MS, lupus, AIDS and many others -- are actually being robbed of their vital energy by the disease process itself. In the case of chronic fatigue, it is believed that the Epstein Barr virus or some other pathogen such as mycoplasmas actually infiltrate and attack the body’s cells. These pathogens severely damage the ability of the cellular mitochondria to produce sufficient amounts of ATP. Of course, ATP is the body’s chief energy molecule. Since literally hundreds of millions of cells can be damaged or compromised by an underlying infectious illness, the remaining undamaged cells are left with the task of trying to produce enough ATP to fuel the entire body. It’s like an eight cylinder car running on only five or six cylinders. The body simply becomes weaker and weaker over time, because the damaged cells are functioning at excessively low levels, and the undamaged cells are being taxed to their limits. The disease process spreads, because the cells cannot produce enough energy to empower the body to fight it off.
Fortunately, by supplying the body with supplemental D-Ribose -- basically flooding the cells with the nutritional fuel they need to produce dramatic levels of extra energy in the form of ATP -- you can frequently “jump start” the body back into high gear. The immune system gets the energy it needs to begin functioning at peak levels again. The brain gets the energy it needs to direct the healing process. Neurons fire better, not just in the brain but throughout the entire nervous system, sending healing chemical and electronic messages throughout the body with lightning speed. Synaptic transmission is restored to peak function. There is even some evidence that the cells damaged by the pathogens begin to recover when given the fuel they need for self-repair. And finally, energy levels are fully restored, and the body is able to pull itself out of the downward spiral caused by the underlying disease process.
Steve Barwick: What about energy deficit disorders related to aging?
George Foss: Well, aging is of course a normal process. And there is not much we can do about it but take care of our bodies by avoiding toxins and by making sure we get the proper nutrition, hydration and daily exercise our bodies need. Yet even if we are very good at doing these things, we will inevitably suffer from lower energy levels as we age. In large part, this is because, as we get older, our digestion does not function as well. And without proper digestion, our body is not able to extract the same levels of D-Ribose from food it once could. So there is less D-Ribose to send to the mitochondria for conversion into ATP. Because of this, we slowly begin to lose energy as we age. When D-Ribose is not extracted from the foods we eat and delivered to the cells in sufficient enough quantities to sustain normal everyday bodily functions, we simply begin to slow down. And quite commonly, fatigue and malaise sets in. But by supplementing with even small amounts of D-Ribose, we can make up for much of that lost energy caused by the normal aging process. The bottom line is that if we can give the cells what they need – in this case, supplemental D-Ribose -- we can maintain a much higher level of daily energy than we could if we did not supplement. This is why so many middle-aged and older folks now supplement each morning with D-Ribose.
Steve Barwick: Well, at 52 years old, I know I use it. And frankly, I wouldn’t go a day without it. So what are some of the best ways to take D-Ribose for its well-known energy-boosting benefits?
George Foss: Based upon my experiences with customers over the past ten years, I’d say most healthy people who want to take D-Ribose for a little bit of extra energy generally need to take only one or two capsules a day by mouth -- usually with a little bit of food. Each capsule should be a minimum of 700 mg. That way, if you take two capsules per day, you are getting nearly a gram and a half of D-Ribose, which is a nice dose for a relatively healthy person. However, if you are suffering from any kind of energy deficit disorder, you may need to either take significantly more D-Ribose, or take it a bit differently in order to maximize its energy-boosting benefits.
Steve Barwick: You’re saying there are different ways to take D-Ribose, so as to get more oomph out of it?
George Foss: Yes, absolutely. Here are four powerful ways to maximize your D-Ribose energy-boosting benefits, without having to increase your dosage:
1.) Take it sublingually. This means you should simply pour it out of the capsule directly under your tongue, and then swish it around inside your mouth so that it coats your cheeks and gums. Do this for several minutes. This allows the body to absorb much of the D-Ribose directly into the bloodstream through the rich network of veins found under the tongue, and in the cheeks and gums, thereby bypassing the normal digestive process in which some D-Ribose is inevitably lost. D-Ribose is a carbohydrate, a complex form of sugar, so it tastes slightly sweet, and for most people is not distasteful at all. This little trick alone will help dramatically maximize the effectiveness of D-Ribose when you take it.
2.) Another way to maximize your D-Ribose energy-boosting benefits is to take it with a commercial liquid hydration formula, such as Gatorade. Because Gatorade is specifically designed to hydrate the body’s 7 trillion cells, mixing several 700 mg. capsules worth of D-Ribose into a glassful before drinking it will help draw the D-Ribose directly into the cells very quickly, resulting in a dramatic physical energy boost that simply cannot be achieved by taking D-Ribose with water or other liquids alone. However, insulin dependent diabetics and hypoglycemics should only use this method under a doctor’s guidance and supervision, and blood sugar should be monitored closely, due to the sugars in the Gatorade.
3.) You can also dramatically maximize your D-Ribose energy-boosting benefits by taking it with synergistic nutrients. D-Ribose tends to significantly increase the body’s ability to absorb and effectively utilize other nutrients. By taking it with B-vitamins, such as a good “B-50” formula, which is to say, 50 mg. of each of the major B-vitamins, you will maximize the beneficial effects of the vitamins by up to 100%. And the vitamins will dramatically extend the beneficial effects of the D-Ribose throughout the day. Other synergistic nutrients that can be taken with D-Ribose for phenomenal energy-boosting benefits are magnesium (200 mg.), malic acid (900 mg.), iodine (200 mcg.), selenium (200 mcg), tyrosine (500 mg.) and vitamin C (500 mg.), to mention but a few. One of my favorite combinations is 700 mg. of D-Ribose taken with 1,000 mg. of chewable B-12 in the methylcobalamin form.
4.) Finally, a very powerful way to maximize your D-Ribose energy-boosting benefits is to take it from time to time with an immune system booster such as Beta-glucan. This is a little-known secret I learned from several people with severe chronic fatigue, who used it to very good effect whenever they needed to quickly recover from a debilitating chronic fatigue “crash.” Taken together, the synergy between D-Ribose and Beta-glucan appears to double or even triple the individual benefits of each supplement. Energy and clear thinking can often be restored within a couple of hours, even when the mental “fog” so common to chronic fatigue is severe. What’s more, immunity can be restored to higher pre-crash levels very quickly. And when taken for several days in a row, the uplifting mental and physical effects of this dynamic duo can last for several days to several weeks afterwards. Some regular D-Ribose users have told me that they simply take a “booster” using this combination of nutrients once a week, in order to prevent any further chronic fatigue “crashes.’ By the way, the best form of Beta-glucan to use for this technique is the fully micronized Beta-1,3-1,6-glucan, available exclusively from a company in Liberty, Texas called Nutritional Supply Corporation. They can be reached at 1-888-246-7224, extension 222. D-Ribose can, of course, be purchased from our good friends at The Silver Edge by calling 1-800-528-0559, or by visiting them online at www.thesilveredge.com
Steve Barwick: George, it has been a real pleasure talking with you today. And it is always an eye-opening experience. We certainly appreciate your very interesting insights. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us.
George Foss: Thank you, Steve. It’s been my pleasure. For more in-depth information on D-Ribose, see the “Unique Nutritional Supplements” link at www.thesilveredge.com.
Copyright 2007. No reproduction with the expressed written permission of the publisher. Life & Health Research Group, Inc., PO Box 1239, Peoria AZ 85380.
Important Notice: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the materials and products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Self-treatment is not recommended. All health care decisions should be made under the guidance of an experienced and knowledgeable health care practitioner.
Steve Barwick is a natural health journalist and author of The Colloidal Silver Manual, The Immune Manual, and other books on vital health and survival topics published by Life & Health Research Group, Inc., and available at http://www.lifeandhealthresearchgroup.com .