Pyruvate

Pyruvate is a 3-carbon energy intermediate produced in cells from glucose, en route to creating ATP (the main energy currency of working cells). Pyruvate supplementation has been proposed to enhance work output and weight loss by providing more efficient energy that bypasses the ability of the body to store glucose as body fat.

Studies in humans with pyvuate supplementation show promise at high dosages when pyruvate replaces dietary carbohydrates.

Pyruvate has a lacklustre pharmacodynamic profile, and is not well absorbed. Some studies fail to note increases in blood pyruvate or muscle pyruvate in response to supplementation due to its inability to be absorbed and utilized well. Low doses of pyruvate (3-5g) tend to return null results rather than positive results in healthy persons.

Due to its poor absorption, high dose pyruvate is known to cause stomach distress and loose stools in dosages exceeding 15g.

Most studies on pyruvate substituted dietary carbohydrates for pyruvate as pyruvate itself does contain calories. The dose used in studies showing most fat loss is in the range of 20-50g daily, or replacing 10-20% of caloric intake (initially from carbohydrates) with supplemental pyruvate.

The lowest effective range noted in the aforementioned studies is replacing 6-12g of carbohydrates with pyruvate, but even then the results seen with pyruvate are variable and lacklustre enough to warrant caution in buying this supplement.

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what effects pyruvate has on your body, and how strong these effects are.

Grade	Level of Evidence [show legend]
	Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
	Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
	Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
	Uncontrolled or observational studies only

Level of Evidence ? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.	Outcome	Magnitude of effect ? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.	Consistency of research results ? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.	Notes
	Fat Mass	-	High See all 5 studies	The majority of the evidence currently does not support a role for supplemental Pyruvate in weight loss. The limited evidence to suggest fat loss are in obese women under severe caloric restriction, of which pyruvate was twice linked to increase the already drastic weight loss
	Weight	-	Low See all 5 studies	Most evidence suggests that standard oral doses of Pyruvate supplementation do not have a reducing effect on weight, but the effects of high dose pyruvate during severe caloric restriction cannot be ruled out
	Blood Pressure	Minor	- See study	May reduce blood pressure in hyperlipidemics, relation to weight loss not known
	Fatigue	Minor	- See study	May reduce fatigue during weight loss periods
	Heart Rate	Minor	- See study	May decrease heart rate alongside blood pressure in hyperlipidemics according to one trial
	LDL-C	Minor	Moderate See 2 studies	A reducing effect on LDL-C has been noted once during caloric surplus; practical relevance of this information unknown
	Subjective Well-Being	Minor	- See study	An increase in well being may occur secondary to weight loss, although due to the complications in weight loss with pyruvate this may not be feasible
	Total Cholesterol	Minor	- See study	A reduction in total cholesterol has been noted once in response to a high fat hypercaloric diet; practical relevance unknown
	Aerobic Exercise	-	- See study	No significant influence on aerobic exercise performance
	HDL-C	-	Moderate See 2 studies	No significant influence on HDL-C levels
	Power Output	-	- See study	No significant influence on power output noted with pyruvate supplementation in healthy athletes
	Training Volume	-	- See study	No significant influence on training volume in otherwise healthy persons given an exercise protocol

1. ^ a b c d Morrison MA, Spriet LL, Dyck DJ. Pyruvate ingestion for 7 days does not improve aerobic performance in well-trained individuals. J Appl Physiol. (2000)
2. ^ a b Stanko RT, et al. Enhancement of arm exercise endurance capacity with dihydroxyacetone and pyruvate. J Appl Physiol. (1990)
3. ^ a b Egras AM, et al. An evidence-based review of fat modifying supplemental weight loss products. J Obes. (2011)
4. ^ Stanko RT, Tietze DL, Arch JE. Body composition, energy utilization, and nitrogen metabolism with a severely restricted diet supplemented with dihydroxyacetone and pyruvate. Am J Clin Nutr. (1992)
5. ^ Stanko RT, Tietze DL, Arch JE. Body composition, energy utilization, and nitrogen metabolism with a 4.25-MJ/d low-energy diet supplemented with pyruvate. Am J Clin Nutr. (1992)
6. ^ Stanko RT, et al. Pyruvate supplementation of a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet: effects on plasma lipid concentrations and body composition in hyperlipidemic patients. Am J Clin Nutr. (1994)
7. ^ Ostojic SM, Ahmetovic Z. The effect of 4 weeks treatment with a 2-gram daily dose of pyruvate on body composition in healthy trained men. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. (2009)
8. ^ Koh-Banerjee PK, et al. Effects of calcium pyruvate supplementation during training on body composition, exercise capacity, and metabolic responses to exercise. Nutrition. (2005)
9. ^ Kalman D, et al. The effects of pyruvate supplementation on body composition in overweight individuals. Nutrition. (1999)
10. ^ Ivy JL. Effect of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone on metabolism and aerobic endurance capacity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (1998)
11. ^ Stanko RT, et al. Enhanced leg exercise endurance with a high-carbohydrate diet and dihydroxyacetone and pyruvate. J Appl Physiol. (1990)
12. ^ Robertson RJ, et al. Blood glucose extraction as a mediator of perceived exertion during prolonged exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. (1990)
13. ^ Stanko RT, et al. Plasma lipid concentrations in hyperlipidemic patients consuming a high-fat diet supplemented with pyruvate for 6 wk. Am J Clin Nutr. (1992)
14. Stone MH, et al. Effects of in-season (5 weeks) creatine and pyruvate supplementation on anaerobic performance and body composition in American football players. Int J Sport Nutr. (1999)