Lipoic acid, also called alpha-lipoic acid or thioctic acid, is a substance that helps your body turn the glucose content of your food into energy. You make some of this acid internally and get additional amounts from various foods in your diet. R-lipoic acid is the specific form of lipoic acid that your body makes.
The Basics
Your natural supplies of lipoic acid are attached to certain proteins that help your cells' energy-producing centers --- called mitochondria -- do their job. In addition to its role in energy production, lipoic acid acts as an antioxidant and helps your body fight off the damaging effects of molecules called free radicals. It might also help renew your body's reserves of other antioxidant substances such as vitamin E and vitamin C. A mirror-image form of R-lipoic acid, called S-lipoic acid, can be produced in a laboratory setting. Supplemental forms of lipoic acid might contain either pure R-lipoic acid or a mixture of R-lipoic and S-lipoic acids, called racemic lipoic acid.
Supplements
Typically, your body makes enough R-lipoic acid to meet your needs, and scientists have not uncovered lipoic acid deficiencies in human beings. Still, your doctor might recommend supplementation with R-lipoic acid or racemic acid to help treat several health conditions, including nerve damage in your extremities associated with the blood glucose disorder diabetes, diabetes-related nerve damage to your heart muscle, diabetes-related blood vessel disease and inefficient glucose processing in people with type 2 diabetes. Lipoic acid supplements are also being tested for use in the treatment of dementia, stroke and multiple sclerosis.
Dosages and Side Effects
No commonly established dosage for lipoic acid supplements exists, but doses for antioxidant purposes often range from 20 to 50 mg per day. People undergoing treatment for diabetic nerve damage or diabetes might receive as much as 800 mg per day. When used in doses as high as 1,200 mg a day for two years, or 1,800 mg a day for six months, racemic lipoic acid produces no serious side effects. Potential mild or moderate effects of R-lipoic acid or racemic acid include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, strong urine odor and allergic reactions that trigger hives, itching or rash.
Considerations
Doctors don't know if lipoic acid supplementation is safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Talk to your doctor before you use a supplement product, especially if you take levothyroxine or other thyroid medications, or insulin or other medications that lower your blood glucose levels. Use of lipoic acid supplements might also alter your body's use of the B vitamin biotin. The human body appears to absorb R-lipoic acid more efficiently than S-lipoic acid. However, doctors don't know whether pure R-lipoic acid supplements are more effective than racemic lipoic acid supplements.
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