D-ribose plays a critical role in energy synthesis and recovery, which helps restore muscle's physiological condition, reduces cellular damage and limits free radical formation. It is a naturally occurring monosaccharide with a carbonyl group located at the end of its 5-carbon chain, making it an aldehyde derivative, or an aldopentose. This simple sugar is a structural component of important nucleotides in living cells. For instance, ribose-5-phosphate, the product of the pentose phosphate pathway, is in turn converted to 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), which is the primary driver in the formation of new purine nucleotides, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its precursors. In other words, D-ribose-5-phosphate is essential for the synthesis of ATP, cyclic nucleotides, RNA and DNA.

D-ribose supplements are available commercially. One product containing D-ribose is sold under the brand name CORvalen, and is produced by Valen Labs Inc., a subsidiary of Bioenergy Inc.