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.

Benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid and some Research & Studies
What's particularly cool about Alpha Lipoic Acid, besides its enormous strength as an antioxidant, is the fact that it is both fat soluble and water soluble so it can penetrate both parts of a cell. So while you're taking Vitamin E for the fat part, and Vitamin C for the water part, this not only affects both but it's stronger than the two of those!

Alpha Lipoic Acid Supplements Life Extension Foundation is the only company I've found to solve the biotin problem of taking ALA - if you have it. This is the higher quality R- ALA, 250 mg, with 2.5 mg of biotin, which is just perfect! 60 capsules 300 mg a pill, just the ALA, 50 capsules Alpha Lipoic Acid Lip Plumper Alpha Lipoic Acid Eye Area Therapy with added goodies like DMAE!

But don't stop taking C & E: ALA is capable of recycling and lengthening the lifespan of other antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione, and that new favorite, coenzyme Q10.

ALA boosts cellular levels of glutathione, the only antioxidant that can. People with AIDS, cancer and autoimmune diseases generally have low levels of glutathione. Perricone says that white blood cells are sensitive to changes in glutathione levels so that even little changes can have profound effects on the immune response!

Another plus for the immune system is ALA blocks some factors that can be inflammatory, and are more inflammatory the older we get. This weakens immunity to diseases, promotes cancer and other diseases.

Alpha lipoic acid enhances glucose uptake in type 2 diabetes, inhibits glycosylation (the abnormal attachment of sugar to protein), and has been used to improve diabetic nerve damage and reduce that pain. 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.

Healthnotes says that there is some evidence that 150 mg of alpha lipoic acid, taken daily for one month, improves visual function in people with glaucoma. I can't find cross-support for that but wouldn't wait for it to improve my glaucoma if I had it. And if it improved visual function of glaucoma it makes me wonder what else it would improve and except for the gray hair problem, there appears to be no harm in finding out.

Healthnotes says ALA has been shown to inhibit the replication of the HIV virus in the test tube; however, it is not known whether supplementing with Alpha lipoic acid would benefit HIV-infected people.

Healthnotes says the survival rate of people poisoned by mushrooms has been increased by the Intravenous administration of Alpha lipoic acid. (They add, "Don't try this at home." )

Alpha-lipoic acid readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, like choline.

Food sources of Alpha Lipoic Acid
The body makes small amounts of alpha lipoic acid. There is only limited knowledge about the food sources of this nutrient - yeast and liver are two sources. However, foods that contain mitochondria (a specialized component of cells), such as red meats, are believed to provide the most alpha lipoic acid.

For memory and brain function! Experimental studies show that Alpha Lipoic Acid can reverse damage in aging cells of the brain. (We LOVE to see that word "reverse!") In "Proceedings of the National Academy of science" a study where aging rats were treated with either acetyl-L carnitine or ALA showed both of these nutrients improved performance in memory tasks by lowering oxidative damage and improving mitochondrial function. Electron microscopic studies of the brains of these animals indicated these nutrients reversed age associated mitochondrial structural decay.

Alpha lipoic acid has also been used both in oral and topical form as a treatment for keeping skin healthy and young in appearance. There have been studies in the medical literature indicating that supplemental Alpha Lipoic Acid can even be beneficial in patients with glaucoma.

Recommended Dose?
Alpha-lipoic acid is absorbed from the small intestine and that means a supplement must survive stomach acids. Also the natural R-entantiomer type is better absorbed than the L-entantiomer type. and is the more active form. For therapeutic use to address specific problems 600-1,800 mg per day of alpha lipoic acid have been used for optimal benefits. Dr. Perricone thinks we should take about 200 mg, recommending 100 mg at both breakfast time and dinner. Beware of products that contain 500 mcg (1/2 mg)-10 mg; these doses are probably too little to provide any benefit.



The amount of alpha lipoic acid used in research to improve diabetic neuropathies is 800 mg per day and 150 mg per day for glaucoma. 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. If you take it, take biotin to counteract a possible hair-graying effect!

Side Effects?
Side effects with alpha lipoic acid are rare but can include skin rash and the potential of hypoglycemia in diabetic patients. People who may be deficient in vitamin B1 (such as alcoholics) 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.

Deficiencies
Although alpha lipoic acid was thought to be a vitamin when it was first discovered, subsequent research determined 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.

(Note: The hair on one side of my head went totally gray after starting an alpha lipoic acid regime of 10-100mg. one or two times a day. I freaked! I finally found mention of the mere possibility that it can interfere with biotin - discovered in a study done with and added biotin to my regime. A lot. Not only has all the new gray hair gone totally back to its natural color but so has some of the gray I thought was normal! There was still some gray left and feeling spoiled and not wanting to spend more money on a coloring job I was able to turn back 90% of the rest of this gray hair with spray copper peptides on my scalp. I'm not kidding! I thought maybe my hair hadn't grown since my last coloring job since I simply had no gray roots - but they're gone!!)

* This is one of the reasons Perricone raves about alpha lipoic acid in all three of his books, puts it in his products and goes into more detail in his latest, the Perricone Promise. It's a Skin/Beauty book, but I read it mostly for the nutrition news! He is a medical doctor and can analyze research and studies so I feel comfortable when HE says "Alpha Lipoic Acid has anti-aging benefits" because he doesn't say irresponsible things like "medical researchers found" without telling me who and where they are, or "if you are in the advanced stages of a disease you are going to die" - like the author of a new book on natural healings does.