ALA, or alpha-lipoic acid, is an antioxidant substance that helps your body use the energy stored in glucose. It differs from alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid also commonly abbreviated as ALA. Alpha-lipoic acid can potentially lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes and ease the effects of diabetes-related nerve damage. However, further research is needed to determine its effectiveness.
Basics
Antioxidants help protect your health by combating the actions of waste molecules called free radicals, which can damage cells throughout your body. Unlike antioxidant vitamins E and C, which dissolve only in fat or water, ALA dissolves in either medium, and therefore has a wider potential effect on your health. Normally, your body produces all the ALA you need. You can also purchase oral ALA supplements; receive intravenous, or IV, ALA treatments; or eat ALA-rich foods, including brewer's yeast, red meat, potatoes, broccoli, spinach and liver and other organ meats.
Glucose-Related Effects
ALA can potentially lower blood glucose levels in diabetics by improving the body's sensitivity to the glucose-controlling effects of the hormone insulin, according to the Linus Pauling Institute and the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. The evidence for ALA's glucose-lowering capabilities is stronger for IV treatment than for oral treatment. However, much of the research into the potential benefits of this substance has involved small sample sizes or poor study design, and doctors don't have a definitive perspective on ALA's usefulness in blood glucose control.
Effects on Nerve Damage
ALA use may also potentially ease the effects of a common form of diabetes-related nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy, UMMC reports. Symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy include numbness, burning, tingling or itching in various parts of the body. In addition, ALA treatments may ease the effects of another form of diabetes-related nerve damage, called autonomic neuropathy, which alters normal function in the nerves associated with your heart. However, as with glucose control, information on the true effectiveness of ALA in these circumstances is limited due to a lack of properly designed studies.
Considerations
Because of the potential for harmful decreases in glucose levels, people with diabetes or the low blood glucose disorder called hypoglycemia can only safely take ALA with ongoing monitoring from a doctor. If you take insulin or other medications for diabetes, use of ALA can increase their glucose-lowering effects and trigger the onset of hypoglycemia. Before you use ALA, review your glucose status and medication usage with your doctor. Doctors don't know how ALA affects children or pregnant or lactating women, so these groups should avoid ALA supplementation.
