Quick Navigation

Pyruvate

Pyruvate is an energy intermediate in cells, derived from both glucose and fatty acids to produce ATP. Despite this importance, human studies are not overly promising and the high doses needed are sometimes limited by intestinal side-effects.

Our evidence-based analysis on pyruvate features 14 unique references to scientific papers.

Kamal Patel
Research analysis led by and reviewed by the Examine team.
Last Updated:

Summary of Pyruvate

Primary information, health benefits, side effects, usage, and other important details

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.

Guidance from the experts

Learn what supplements to take for your specific health goals with the Examine Supplement Guides.

Want a deeper look at the research? Examine Members get full access to the comprehensive research database, monthly study summaries, and the latest in-depth analysis.

Your support allows us to be 100% independent and unbiased.


How to Take

Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details

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.

Easily stay on top of the latest nutrition research

Become an Examine Member to get access to the latest research. Get 150+ studies summarized for you across 25 different categories every month.

Members also have access to the Examine Study Database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes, as well as in-depth research analyses. Understand the whole body of nutrition and supplement evidence at a glance.

Get instant access — start your free 14-day trial

Already a Member? Click here to log in.


Human Effect Matrix

Unlocked for Examine Members

Easily stay on top of the latest nutrition research

Become an Examine Member to get access to the latest research. Get 150+ studies summarized for you across 25 different categories every month.

Members also have access to the Examine Study Database of 400+ supplements and their effects on 600+ health outcomes, as well as in-depth research analyses. Understand the whole body of nutrition and supplement evidence at a glance.

Get instant access — start your free 14-day trial

Already a Member? Click here to log in.


The Human Effect Matrix summarizes human studies to tell you what effects Pyruvate has on your body, how much evidence there is, and how strong these effects are.

Full details are available to Examine Members. Not a Member? Try Examine Membership completely free for two weeks.
Grade Level of Evidence
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
grade-b
Body Fat
- 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
grade-b
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
grade-c
Blood Pressure
Minor - See study
May reduce blood pressure in hyperlipidemics, relation to weight loss not known
grade-c
Fatigue
Minor - See study
May reduce fatigue during weight loss periods
grade-c
Heart Rate
Minor - See study
May decrease heart rate alongside blood pressure in hyperlipidemics according to one trial
grade-c
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
grade-c
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
grade-c
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
grade-c
Aerobic Exercise
- - See study
No significant influence on aerobic exercise performance
grade-c
HDL-C
- Moderate See 2 studies
No significant influence on HDL-C levels
grade-c
Power Output
- - See study
No significant influence on power output noted with pyruvate supplementation in healthy athletes
grade-c
Training Volume
- - See study
No significant influence on training volume in otherwise healthy persons given an exercise protocol

Stay on top of the latest research

To unlock the full archives of our Study Database and research analyses, become an Examine Member today.

Start your 14-day free trial

Things to Note

Primary Function:

  • Pyruvate has a caloric content, and will need to be worked into a diet's caloric total

Get our free 5-day course on the essentials of supplementation.

At Examine, our incentives line up with yours — getting unbiased information. That's why we don’t sell any advertising or supplements.

Join over 250,000 people who have learned about effective versus overrated supplements, tips for buying supplements, and how to combine supplements for safety and efficacy.

Research Breakdown on Pyruvate

1Pharmacology

2Interactions with Obesity and Fat mass

2.1Mechanisms

2.2Human Studies

3Interactions with Exercise Metabolism

4Safety and Toxicology
Click here to see all 14 references.

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 14 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of research information and references for Pyruvate.

Examine.com is intended to be used for educational and information purposes only. Examine.com and its Editors do not advocate nutritional supplementation over proper medical advice or treatment and this sentiment will never be expressed through pages hosted under Examine.com. If using any pharmaceuticals or drugs given to you by a doctor or received with a prescription, you must consult with the doctor in question or an equally qualified Health Care Professional prior to using any nutritional supplementation. If undergoing medical therapies, then consult with your respective Therapist or Health Care Professional about possible interactions between your Treatment, any Pharmaceuticals or Drugs being given, and possible nutritional supplements or practices hosted on Examine.com.

Examine.com does not assume liability for any actions undertaken after visiting these pages, and does not assume liability if one misuses supplements. Examine.com and its Editors do not ensure that unforeseen side effects will not occur even at the proper dosages, and thereby does not assume liability for any side effects from supplements or practices hosted under the domain of Examine.com.

Supplements

Articles

Health Topics

Membership Free Trial

Protein Intake Guide + Calculator

How to read a study

About

Never miss an update!

Your email is safe with us. We don’t share personal data.

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify.