The Amazing Effects of Alpha Lipoic Acid

by: Julia Hanf

Alpha Lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that is growing in popularity. Given the amazing properties of this antioxidant it’s not surprising that it is being marketed for its potential to cure heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, AIDS and cataracts. Amazingly, medical studies have shown that using alpha lipoic acid improves insulin sensitivity and prevents nerve problems in diabetic patients.

Alpha Lipoic acid, also known as Lipoic acid, is contained inside every cell of the body where it helps produce energy. Lipoic acid also helps change glucose (blood sugar) into energy for the body's needs, which is especially beneficial for diabetics. As an antioxidant, ALA helps to reduce the effects of naturally occurring chemicals called free radicals. Unlike other antioxidants, however, Lipoic acid is unique in that it works in both water and fat. Other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, only work in water or, such as vitamin E, in fat.

Typical healthy bodies produce enough Lipoic acid and therefore do not require supplemental sources. Unfortunately those with diabetes characteristically have low levels of ALA and are frequently unaware of that fact, given that typical mainstream medical doctors frequently do not test for these levels. In fact, it has been proven that certain nerve diseases, such as diabetic neuropathy are at least partially caused by free radical damage.

Diabetic neuropathy, or diabetic peripheral neuropathy, is a common complication of diabetes. Neuropathy is damage to the nerves that allow you to feel sensations such as pain, numbness, and other symptoms in the extremities, typically the legs and feet. There are a number of ways that diabetes damages the nerves, but they all seem related to blood glucose being too high for a long period of time. Nerve damage is one of diabetes most devastating complications that affect more than 60-70 % of all diabetics according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Lipoic acid is not new and for decades it has been used in Germany to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy. A study in Diabetes Care recently reported that alpha lipoic acid may partially restore diabetic nerve function after a high dose oral treatment was given for four months. The theory is that lipoic acid may be able to go into all the parts of a nerve cell and potentially protect it against such damage since it works in both fat and water. Supplementation with lipoic acid has also been suggested by some diabetic specialists and it is being further studied in humans for diabetic neuropathy.

While Alpha lipoic acid is made by the body it can also be found in very small amounts in foods such as spinach, broccoli, peas, Brewer's yeast, brussel sprouts, rice bran, and organ meats. Alpha lipoic acid supplements are available in capsule form at health food stores, some drugstores, and online.