Scientists first discovered the importance of alpha-lipoic acid in the 1950s, and in 1988 realized its potent antioxidant properties. Alpha-lipoic acid has been promoted to treat diseases, boost athletic performance and improve brain function, with research corroborating many of these claims. However, the form of alpha-lipoic acid you use is also important, with the natural form considered the most beneficial.
Identification
Alpha-lipoic acid, or ALA, is produced in your body, and needed for every cell to turn glucose into energy. Unlike other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, alpha-lipoic acid is both fat-soluble and water-soluble, which means it can be used by all your body tissues. This ability allows alpha-lipoic acid to neutralize harmful free radicals in both interior and exterior parts of cells, which led researchers to call ALA the "universal antioxidant." Natural alpha-lipoic acid is called R-lipoic acid, whereas synthetic, or racemic, lipoic acid is a lab-created 50-50 combination of R-lipoic acid and S-lipoic acid. S-lipoic acid is the chemical mirror image of the R form that can't be used as effectively by your body. As of August 2011, there had been no direct comparisons of the bioavailability of racemic LA and R-LA supplements published.
Benefits
Alpha-lipoic acid may be able to protect your body from the effects of aging and also from cancer. One of its primary medical uses has been in the treatment of diabetes and its complications. Other research has shown alpha-lipoic acid's potential to be used as treatment for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, liver disease, glaucoma and impaired memory and loss of cognitive function in older people and stroke victims.
Expert Insight
A meta-analysis of diabetes studies using alpha-lipoic acid was published in November 2008 in the journal "Nutrition Review." The researchers concluded that ALA improved glycemic control and insulin sensitivity and helped fight the pain, tingling and numbness of neuropathy in diabetic patients. Most of these studies used racemic ALA, although R-LA was shown to be metabolized better. Two separate studies by the Linus Pauling Institute Department of Biochemistry at Oregon State University, published in "FASEB" in 2001 and "Redox Report" in 2005, showed that R-LA reversed mitochondrial-induced oxidative stress and also the age-related accumulation of iron and depletion of antioxidants in the cerebral cortex of aging rats.
Food Sources
The natural R form of alpha-lipoic acid occurs in a wide variety of foods. Animal sources include beef kidney, heart and liver and beef steak, while plants with high concentrations include spinach, collard greens, chard, broccoli, peas, Brussels sprouts and rice bran. The food-based form of ALA is bound up with the amino acid lysine, whereas supplements are not.
Alpha Lipoic Acid Supplements
The amounts of ALA in supplements can be 1,000 times greater than amounts found in dietary plant and animal sources. Most ALA supplements are racemic LA. To obtain only the beneficial R-LA, make sure the label indicates as such, although these products tend to be more expensive. Supplements are typically manufactured in doses of 30 mg to 100 mg tablets. Patients in various studies have taken up to 1,800 mg daily of ALA for six months and 1,200 mg daily for two years with few problems. Check with your doctor before using supplements, especially if you have health problems or take other medicines.
Considerations
There are no recommended dosages for any form of alpha-lipoic acid. Consult your doctor before adding ALA to your diet, particularly if you are diabetic, are on thyroid medications, deficient in thiamine or have any other serious disease. The few side effects that have been reported are mild and include skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and foul-smelling urine.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Alpha Lipoic Acid; Steven D. Ehrlich, N.M.D.; March 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute; Lipoic Acid; Jane Higdon and Tory M. Hagen; April 2006
- University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letters: Alpha-Lipoic Acid
- "Redox Report"; (R)-Alpha-Lipoic Acid Reverses the Age-Related Accumulation of Iron; J.H. Suh; 2005
- "Nutrition Review"; Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplementation and Diabetes; Uma Singh and Ishwarlal Jialal; November 2008
- "FASEB Journal"; Oxidative Stress in the Aging Rat Heart is Reversed by Dietary Supplementation With (R)-(Alpha)-Lipoic Acid; J.H. Suh, et al.; March 2001
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