Why You Should Consider Alpha Lipoic Acid Supplements for Your Health

September 4, 2007 9:29 PM
By Susan Parsons MD

You may have already heard about some of the amazing health and anti-aging benefits of alpha lipoic acid. Called the universal or master antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid is a vitamin-like compound. Although we make it in our bodies and eat it in small amounts in our food, we may not have enough of it in times of cellular stress, such as aging or disease, or when we are trying to lose weight.

So, move over, vitamins C and E. According to Dr. Lester Packer, research biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley, alpha lipoic acid or ALA has been an overlooked antioxidant. ALA’s unique abilities have only been identified in recent times.

Now, more and more studies show that individuals may reap health benefits if they take supplemental ALA.

The Master Antioxidant

ALA may be the most powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory compound known to man. Many of those savvy enough to appreciate its benefits are supplementing their diets with this “fountain of youth” nutrient.

Why is ALA called the universal antioxidant? This compound has two unique abilities when fighting free radicals:

  1. It is active in both the watery and fatty regions of cells, so that it can fight in all arenas.
  2. ALA can actually recycle other antioxidants like vitamins C and E as well as glutathione, thought to be the body’s most important free radical quencher.

Fat-soluble antioxidants, like vitamin E, protect the fatty lipids that make up the cell membrane. An intact membrane and receptor system ensures that signals coming from the bloodstream or other cells are transmitted accurately.

Vitamin C, on the other hand, is a water-soluble warrior and has other roles to play.

Yet ALA can thwart oxidative damage in all areas of the body. It can preserve the energy-producing mitochondria from the damaging effects of oxygen. By protecting chromosomes located in the nucleus, ALA can help ward off genetic defects that might otherwise lead to cancer or other diseases. And by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol, this harmful trigger of atherosclerosis may be nipped in the bud.

Cofactor for Metabolism

ALA is also crucial to our metabolic machinery. In fact, it is an essential cofactor in the citric acid cycle. You may remember this as the Kreb’s cycle from your high school biology class.

The citric acid cycle is the common metabolic pathway through which all our food is turned into packets of energy, or ATP. Without it, life would stop. Since ALA is a key ingredient needed to keep the cycle running, we must have an adequate supply of it … or run out of energy.

Therapeutic Benefits of ALA

Alpha lipoic acid is now being used not only to prevent aging and disease, but to help with treatment in a number of disease states. (Please note that these treatments are still considered “alternative” and “experimental” by mainstream medicine and the FDA.) Some of the many uses include:

  • Treatment of diabetic neuropathy. ALA is commonly used in Europe for this purpose. The typically recommended dose is 600 mg daily.
  • Treatment of liver disease, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. ALA may help the liver detoxify, heal and repair.
  • Insulin resistance, which is connected to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease among other maladies, may improve with ALA treatment. Some studies have shown increased insulin sensitivity and improved glucose uptake from the bloodstream when ALA is used as a supplement.
  • Treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diseases of inflammation, and AIDS due to ALA’s ability to inactivate “nuclear factor kappa-B”, a potent stimulator of inflammation and cell destruction.

Where can you find ALA?

By now, you may be wondering how you can get some of this wonderful stuff. There is some in our food. Red meats, organ meats, and leafy greens like spinach contain this antioxidant. However, for therapeutic uses, the higher doses available in supplements work best.

Alpha lipoic acid is one of the 3 Rejuvenators that I recommend for weight loss, increased energy, or to improve health. I take it every day in my multivitamin. Read more about the benefits of this nutrient to your metabolism.

Comments