Alpha Lipoic Acid 600 Mg Benefits

Antioxidants are substances that shuttle excess energy through your body to prevent it from damaging your cells and tissues. Antioxidants are capable of carrying unused electrons, or free radicals, from one place to another, often passing them off to other antioxidants until the electrons are used or neutralized. Most antioxidants only work well in either a fat-soluble or water-soluble environment. Alpha-lipoic acid, a small, vitamin-like molecule, can operate in both environments. Many studies examining alpha-lipoic acid’s benefits use dosages in the 100 to 600 mg range.

Burning Mouth Syndrome

Burning mouth syndrome, or BMS, is a chronic condition characterized by burning or other unpleasant sensations in your tongue or oral mucous membranes when no sign of disease or damage is present. BMS occurs most commonly in elderly women, and its exact cause is unknown. In 2011, researchers at Argentina’s National University of Rosario showed that patients with BMS who took 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid were seven times more likely to improve than if they took a placebo. Improvement was even more dramatic when alpha-lipoic acid was combined with the anti-epileptic drug gabapentin.

Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic patients frequently develop numbness, tingling and pain in their extremities as a result of damage to their peripheral nerves. The nerve injury associated with diabetes is believed to stem from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. A review in the April 2010 issue of “The Netherlands Journal of Medicine” demonstrated that alpha-lipoic acid, when administered either orally or intravenously at a dosage of 600 mg daily, led to significant reductions in pain among patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy.

Insulin Sensitivity

Type 2 diabetics and individuals with metabolic syndrome – often called “pre-diabetes” – are typically resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin resistance leads to elevated blood glucose levels and other physiologic abnormalities that contribute to heart disease, nerve damage and kidney problems. A study published in the autumn 2006 issue of “Hormones” showed that insulin sensitivity improved in type 2 diabetics who took 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid twice daily for four weeks. At the end of the study period, the diabetics’ response to insulin was the same as that measured in non-diabetic control subjects.

Considerations

Alpha-lipoic acid is an effective antioxidant in both water-soluble and lipid-soluble environments. In doses of 600 to 1,200 mg daily, alpha-lipoic acid has demonstrated benefits in certain neurologic diseases and metabolic disorders. Even at lower doses, alpha-lipoic acid may offer health benefits. Nutritionist Elson Haas, M.D., reports that doses of 100 mg daily help support your liver, enhance detoxification, reduce the effects of environmental radiation and recycle other important antioxidants, such as glutathione. Ask your doctor if alpha-lipoic acid supplementation is appropriate for you.