Alzheimer's & R-alpha Lipoic Acid

In 2010, an estimated 36 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's disease or some type of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Disease International. Although there are several treatments that help manage the symptoms of Alzheimer's, there is still no known cure. R-alpha lipoic acid may offer scientists a new treatment option, as it appears to exhibit numerous protective effects against Alzheimer's disease, such as antioxidant activity, metal chelation and mediation of glucose uptake.

Alzheimer's disease is progressive, characterized by the continuous failure and death of brain cells. Although many aspects of Alzheimer's disease remain unknown, scientists are investigating a number of treatment possibilities, including R-alpha lipoic acid. R-alpha lipoic acid is a naturally occurring type of alpha lipoic acid. The other type of alpha lipoic acid, L-alpha lipoic acid, is not harmful; however, researchers believe the R-alpha type may be especially useful in treating Alzheimer's disease.

Antioxidant Activity

With Alzheimer's disease, parts of your brain experience a chronic inflammatory process, marked by increased levels of free radicals and pro-inflammatory markers. R-alpha lipoic acid is a very powerful antioxidant that can help decrease inflammation by sequestering free radicals and down-regulating pro-inflammatory processes within your brain cells. It also helps reduce the release of cytokines that are toxic to your cells. R-alpha lipoic acid is uniquely useful for providing antioxidant activity in brain cells because it is one of the few known antioxidants able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Metal Chelator

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the presence of plaques in your brain. Basically, plaques are clumps of protein that form during a reaction of excess metal ions that accumulate in your brain as you age. As a strong metal chelator, R-alpha lipoic acid can bind to metal ions, leading researchers to believe it may be able to decrease the presence of plaques. Although the mechanism is not entirely clear, experts hypothesize R-alpha lipoic acid can reduce plaques in the brain by either inhibiting their formation or dissolving ones that already exist.

Glucose Uptake

Insulin resistance and impaired glucose uptake by brain cells are common in Alzheimer's disease. An inadequate glucose supply can severely compromise the function of brain cells, and research suggests insulin plays a major role in memory. R-alpha lipoic acid may improve problems with glucose metabolism by mimicking the actions of insulin. Although studies on R-alpha lipoic acid and glucose uptake in the brain are mainly on animals, the results are promising for humans. Additionally, there are multiple human studies that demonstrate the ability of R-alpha lipoic acid to ameliorate insulin resistance in other diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.