Alpha Lipoic Acid
Also indexed as: ALA, Lipoic Acid, Thioctic Acid
What is it?
Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a vitamin-like antioxidant, sometimes referred to as the “universal antioxidant” because it is soluble in both fat and water.1 It is generally produced by body itself and found in food, particularly liver and yeast.
ALA has a regenerative capability and it use that for regenerating several other antioxidants back to their active states, including vitamin C,2 vitamin E,3 glutathione,4 and coenzyme Q10.5
People who are suffering from the diabetes generally can get various benefits by using ALA. It enhances glucose uptake in type 2 (adult onset or non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, helps in inhibition of glycosylation (the abnormal attachment of sugar to protein), and has been used to improve diabetic nerve damage and reduce pain associated with that nerve damage.6 Most studies have used intravenous alpha lipoic acid, but oral supplementation has nonetheless proved partially helpful in treating at least one form of diabetic neuropathy, using 800 mg per day.7
People with glaucoma can get a improvement in their vision if they take 150 mg of alpha lipoic acid daily for one month as evident by some studies conducted8.
It has shown its advantage in combating HIV also. ALA has been shown to inhibit the replication of the HIV virus in the test tube; however, it is not known whether supplementing with ALA would benefit HIV-infected people.9
Intravenous administration of ALA has significantly increased the survival rate of people who have eaten poisonous mushrooms.10 Such a treatment should be prescribed by a doctor and should not be attempted on one’s own.
Where is it found?
Generally the body makes small amounts of alpha lipoic acid. it is not known that which are the common source where you can get it. However, foods that contain mitochondria (a specialized component of cells), such as red meats, are believed to provide the most alpha lipoic acid. Supplements are also available.
Alpha lipoic acid has been used in connection with the following conditions (refer to the individual health concern for complete information):
Who is likely to be deficient?
When it was first discovered, it was thought that it is a vitamin but the later research work determine that it is created in the human body—and thus is not an essential nutrient. For this reason, deficiencies of alpha lipoic acid are not known to occur in humans.
How much is usually taken?
To improve diabetic neuropathies, it is suggested that 800 mg per day is sufficient and for glaucoma 150 mg per day is good enough.. However, much lower amounts, such as 20–50 mg per day, are recommended by some doctors for general antioxidant protection, although there is no clear evidence that such general use has any benefit.
Are there any side effects or interactions?
There are very rare side effects of alpha lipoic acid which generally include skin rash and the potential of hypoglycemia in diabetic patients. If any Person is deficient in vitamin B1 (such as alcoholics), he should take vitamin B1 along with alpha lipoic acid supplements. Chronic administration of alpha lipoic acid in animals has interfered with the actions of the vitamin, biotin. Whether this has significance for humans remains unknown.11
There were no well-known drug interactions with alpha lipoic acid, at the time of writing, .