Difference Between Creatine & D-ribose

Creatine and D-ribose are two of the main building blocks your body needs to synthesize energy. Both substances are commonly used in their supplemental forms in treating fatigue and muscle weakness for this reason. Overall, the two substances have far more commonalities than differences. The few differences they do have are significant enough, however, that both are required by your body to keep you functioning at your finest level.

Basics

The differences between creatine and D-ribose begin at a cellular level. Creatine is an amino acid found in the cells of the meat and fish you consume and is also manufactured in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. D-ribose is a special type of monosaccharide known as pentose and is made entirely by your body. The unifying factor of creatine and D-ribose lies in their shared job of creating energy molecules that fuel your body's systems.

Energy Conversion

Creatine is converted to creatine phosphate and resides predominantly in your skeletal muscles; D-ribose resides in your muscles and is spread more evenly throughout your body. Both are needed to create adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, your body's resource for storing and transporting energy. In his book "From Fatigued to Fantastic," Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum says the knack of D-ribose in targeting mitochondria -- the body's calorie-burning cells -- also makes it an important defense against chronic fatigue and chronic muscle pain.

Muscle Performance

The University of Maryland Medical Center states that American athletes involved in weight-lifting and competitive sports spend roughly 14 million annually on creatine supplements. This is likely reflective of creatine's ability to increase lean muscle mass and athletic performance. Along with these benefits, D-ribose works the heart muscle by increasing blood flow, function and recovery from oxidation. The results of these D-ribose offshoots are heart protection and a hastened recovery from heart-related conditions, Teitelbaum says.

ATP Synthesis

It takes a series of chemical processes to tap into the pure energy reservoir of ATP. One of these processes involves creatine's phosphate donation to ATP in its early stages. This donation allows the recycling of ATP energy throughout the body. In this sense, creatine does not exactly create ATP, but resynthesizes the substance so that energy is always available for fuel. D-ribose creates ATP from scratch to ensure that there is enough of it in its original state to be recycled by creatine.