Alpha lipoic acid, an antioxidant, is manufactured by your body and can also be obtained as a nutritional supplement. Alpha lipoic acid is used in the production of energy and is unique among antioxidants in that it is both water and fat-soluble, allowing it access to more areas where it can exert beneficial effects compared to other antioxidants molecules that are soluble only in water or only in fats. Scientific research has shown supportive effects of lipoic acid for a variety of health conditions, including some heart-related conditions. Consult your doctor before supplementing with alpha lipoic acid.
Calcification
Alpha lipoic acid protects the heart by decreasing calcification -- also known as hardening -- of the arteries, according to a study published in the March 2011 issue of the "Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine." Particularly common in people with kidney disease, vascular calcification can lead to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The researchers observed that calcification of muscle cells within the linings of arteries was also associated with impaired energy production in those cells. In the study, alpha lipoic acid improved energy production and reduced calcification, in laboratory animals. The supplement also increased activity of molecules that promote cell survival. The authors concluded that alpha lipoic acid benefits heart health via two separate mechanisms: improved energy production and increased cell survival signaling pathways.
Clot Formation
Alpha lipoic acid prevents blood clot formation, according to a study published in the August 2010 issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." In the study, alpha lipoic acid supplementation significantly inhibited blood platelets from sticking together, inhibited thromboxane -- an enzyme that increases blood pressure and promotes blood clotting -- and increased energy production in laboratory animals. Alpha lipoic acid also inhibited free radical formation and increased flexibility of blood platelets, making them more fluid and less likely to form clots.
Re-occlusion
A study published in the November 2010 issue of the journal "Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology" found that alpha lipoic acid may protect arteries from becoming re-occluded, a common problem after balloon angioplasty surgery -- a procedure that opens blocked arteries. In the study, alpha lipoic acid strongly promoted apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in muscles cells within the linings of arteries, where plaques form, and inhibited apoptosis in endothelium -- the membrane that lines the arteries -- diminishing the tendency for unhealthy overgrowth, known as hyperplasia. The supplement also accelerated repair of the endothelium following balloon angioplasty and inhibited platelet aggregation.
Anti-aging
Age-associated oxidative stress on the heart may be reversed with alpha lipoic acid, according to a study published in the August 2010 issue of the "Annals of the New York Academy of Science." Supplementation with 0.2 percent alpha lipoic acid for two weeks resulted in a slight decrease in oxidation and an increase in activity of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase in the aortas of laboratory animals. The researchers concluded that short-term alpha lipoic acid supplementation showed a trend of reversing age-related oxidative stress in this study.
References
- "Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine"; Alpha-lipoic acid attenuates vascular calcification via reversal of mitochondrial function and restoration of Gas6/Axl/Akt survival pathway. Kim H, et al.; 2011
- "Journal of Agricultrual and Food Chemistry"; Antiplatelet activity of alpha-lipoic acid. Lai YS, et al.; 2010
- "Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology"; α-Lipoic acid prevents neointimal hyperplasia via induction of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase/Nur77-mediated apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells and accelerates postinjury reendothelialization. Kim HJ, et al.; 2010
- "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences"; Vascular oxidative stress and inflammation increase with age: ameliorating effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation. Li L, et al.; 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Alpha-lipoic Acid; Steven D. Ehrlich; March 14, 2009
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