Since the discovery of alpha-lipoic acid in the 1950s, it's been touted as a substance that can help prevent many diseases and also fight age-related declines in energy, muscle strength and brain function. Although there hasn't been enough research to back such claims, alpha-lipoic acid is an essential part of every cell in your body, and a compound you couldn't live without.
Identification
Alpha-lipoic acid is also known as lipoic acid, thioctic acid or ALA. It is a sulfur-containing fatty acid your body needs to convert blood sugar into energy to keep you going. It's also an antioxidant, meaning it can help prevent damage to your cells and organs from harmful unstable molecules called free radicals. It's made naturally by your body, but it is also found in small amounts in foods like organ meats, rice bran, spinach, broccoli and Brewer's yeast.
Brain Function
Alpha-lipoic acid is able to pass from the blood to the brain and appears to have as-yet unknown protective effects on tissues in both the brain and nervous system. Several animal studies have shown that ALA improves age-associated cognitive decline caused by neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It has also shown promise in boosting brain function and long-term memory in healthy older mice. The first human study, on a small group of dementia patients, published in the "Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics" in 2001, demonstrated that 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid daily over a period of one year led to a stabilization of cognitive function in the study group, demonstrated by scores in two neuropsychological tests.
Blood Sugar
Alpha-lipoic acid can help lower blood sugar levels in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and reduce complications that individuals with diabetes develop, including cataracts, macular degeneration and neuropathy pain in arms and legs. A study in Germany in 1995 showed that in 13 patients with type 2 diabetes, ALA improved insulin sensitivity by 50 percent compared with a placebo. A review of four trials involving 1,258 patients, published in "Diabetic Medicine" in 2004, found that 600 mg per day of ALA for three weeks significantly decreased symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.
HIV
Patients with HIV have a diminished ability to mount antioxidant defenses in their bodies, particularly regarding the antioxidant glutathione. ALA supplementation suppressed HIV replication in vitro and in mice and also prevented the activation of a compound used in AIDS progression. A study on 33 HIV-infected patients, published in the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" in March 2008, found that after six months of receiving 300 mg three times a day of ALA, glutathione levels increased significantly compared with placebo, and levels of lymphocyte white blood cells were decreased by 66 percent.
References
- Drugs.com; Alpha-Lipoic Acid; 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute; Lipoic Acid; Jane Higdon; April 2006
- "Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics"; Alpha-Lipoic Acid as a New Treatment Option for Azheimer Type Dementia; K. Hager, et al.; June 2001
- "Arzneimittelforschung"; Enhancement of Glucose Disposal in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes by Alpha-Lipoic Acid; S. Jacob; August 1995
- "Diabetes Medicine"; Treatment of Symptomatic Diabetic Polyneuropathy with the Antioxidant Alpha-Lipoic Acid: A Meta-Analysis; D. Ziegler; 2004
- "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine"; Restoration of Blood Total Glutathione Status and Lymphocyte Function Following Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplementation in Patients With Hiv Infection; R.J. Jariwalla, et al.; March 2008
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