Malic Acid is closely related to Citric Acid, Vitamin C, which is found naturally in a wide range of foods including green apples. Malic Acid can be quite tart and bitter, and has been used for many years as flavouring in a variety of different sweets providing a sharp and tangy taste. As a dietary supplement, Malic Acid is prized for its role in helping the body to release energy from food, and has been linked with offering improved endurance for athletes. Malic Acid is one of the main fruit acids, and is produced naturally in a range of plants, most notably in apples. When ingested into the body as a supplement to a healthy diet, it has been shown to offer improved levels of energy, particularly during exercise. Malic Acid should be of particular interest to anyone engaged in training for endurance events such as long distance running, or cycling, as it has been shown to offer an increase in performance when taken regularly. Malic Acid works as part of the digestive process which helps release energy from food more efficiently under conditions where the cells are lacking in oxygen, such as in the later stages of an event. The use of Malic Acid while training or competing, offers the greatest benefits in the hypoxic stages of exercise, and prolongs the period at which the body performs at its optimum level of efficiency. Recent medical testing has also shown links between the use of Malic Acid as a dietary supplement, and a reduction in pain caused by the chronic condition Fibromyalgia, which is a long term degenerative disorder that causes pain throughout the body, particularly in the joints.
