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Home › Health › Nutrients › Supplements › Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha Lipoic Acid

  • What it is: a potent water antioxidant; a vital cofactor in producing energy reactions in the body
  • Also known as: Thioctic Acid, R-Lipoic acid, S-alpha lipoic acid
  • Water soluble and sulfur-containing
  • Conditionally essential
  • Absorbed in: the small intestine then distributed to the liver and other parts of the body; readily crosses the blood-brain barrier
  • Dosage: 600 to 1800 mg to treat various disorders (only under the guidance of a health professional)
  • Forms: supplements as Alpha Lipoic Acid or R-lipoic acid
  • Interactions:
    • sulfhydryl-containing drugs (eg. tiopronin, D-penicillamine, captopril) — may cause a rash or skin eruptions
    • diabetic medications — may increase hypoglycemic effects
    • chemotherapy drugs — may decrease effectiveness
    • thyroid medications
  • Food Sources: red and organ meats, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, yams, carrots, beets, yeast
  • Cautions: may cause a thiamine deficiency so take extra vitamin B1
  • Benefits:
    • cofactor for oxidation of some branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine)
    • possesses antioxidant and antioxidant-recycling activity (that is, a potent free radical scavenger in both water- and fat-soluble environments)
    • recycles other antioxidants including vitamins E and C, CoQ10, and glutathione
    • enhances energy production
    • approved in Germany as a treatment for diabetic and alcohol-induced neuropathies and liver disease
    • also used to treat cataracts and glaucoma, dementia, chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV/AIDS, cancers, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, intermittent claudication, Lyme disease, lactic acidosis
    • reduces wrinkles and improves skin condition after sun damage
    • increases aortic blood flow
    • anti-aging, including slowing brain aging
    • prevents scurvy by helping to recycle vitamin C
    • Hep C patients with elevated trasaminases were placed on a triple antioxidant thereapy (alpha lipoic acid, selenium, and milk thistle) did not have to undergo a liver transplant and were able to return to a normal working life. (University of Maryland Medical Centre website)

    For more information see here under Coenzymes.




    Pam Duff, RN, CSNC
    July 2010

    See References.




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