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Article by Juliet Firth ND. Firth is GNC Livewell's Skills Development Manager and heads the our national learning and development programs.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
 It’s no secret that free radical damage to cells is a major factor in both aging and disease1. The ‘Free Radical Theory of Aging,’ 2 the ability to prevent oxidation by free radicals, is vital to both health and disease prevention.
The largest medical journal in the world has already encouraged the daily use of multivitamin supplementation as a way to help prevent chronic diseases.3 However, while a multivitamin contains many important antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E, there are antioxidants not normally found in a multivitamin that can also protect your cells against free radical oxidation.
Alpha Lipoic Acid is one of the most important antioxidants, and if its essential role in health is any indication, it may very well join the ranks of vitamins C and E as part of your first line of defence against free radicals.
Discovered in 1951, Alpha Lipoic Acid naturally occurs in the body, where it serves as an enzyme in the production of cellular energy. In the late 1980’s, researchers realised that Alpha Lipoic Acid had been overlooked as a powerful antioxidant. Over the last decade, the pace of research on Alpha Lipoic Acid has increased dramatically.
Several qualities distinguish Alpha Lipoic Acid from other antioxidants. In fact, one of the leading free radical researchers in the world, Lester Packer M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, has described it as the ‘universal’ antioxidant. In contrast to any other antioxidant, Alpha Lipoic Acid is both water and fat soluble, enabling it to exert an antioxidant effect in almost any part of the body, including the brain and nerve cells. Alpha Lipoic Acid also plays an important role in the synergism of antioxidants, what Packer prefers to call the body’s ‘antioxidant network’. It recycles and extends the metabolic life spans of other antioxidants such as vitamin C, Glutathione and Coenzyme Q10 and indirectly, vitamin E4. As the most versatile and powerful antioxidant in the antioxidant network, if you’re not taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, your not tapping the full potential of the antioxidant network. Alpha Lipoic Acid decreases in the body as we age, making supplementation most useful. Due to its unique characteristics, it has a wide range of benefits in addition to its reputation as an anti-ageing supplement, read on for a few of them!
Energy
Mitochondria are the tiny structures within all cells and are responsible for converting nutrients into energy. Mitochondrial decay and the consequent decline in cellular energy production may be one of the most important causes of cellular decline in aging, resulting in a lack of energy5. Alpha Lipoic Acid is one antioxidant that has been shown to maintain and restore mitochondrial function, thereby boosting energy levels6.
Weight Loss
Recent research shows that Alpha Lipoic Acid may have great benefits in controlling appetite, weight and metabolism. Specifically, researchers have found that Alpha Lipoic Acid influences the activity of AMPK, an enzyme found in the hypothalamus which plays a significant role in regulating appetite and metabolism7.
Detoxification
Alpha Lipoic Acid increases the production of Glutathione, an antioxidant, which plays an essential role in the detoxification and elimination of potential carcinogens and toxins. Studies show that tissue glutathione levels decrease with age, causing decreased ability to respond to toxin exposure. In addition, Alpha Lipoic Acid is also a ‘chelating’ agent, binding to heavy metals and assisting their elimination from the body, thereby limiting the negative impact of heavy metals on the body8.
Diabetes
For over 30 years, Germany physicians have been clinically treating diabetics with Alpha Lipoic Acid. Studies worldwide have shown Alpha Lipoic Acid’s ability to normalise glucose uptake and utilisation9. Studies have also shown that supplementing with Alpha Lipoic Acid can help to restore diabetic nerve function in nerve damage or neuropathy, which affects over 50% of diabetics10.
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Scientific research suggests that Alpha Lipoic Acid offers protection
against the risk of cardiovascular disease through the beneficial action on LDL (bad) cholesterol oxidation, blood lipid profiles, plaque formation and high blood pressure11.
Cognitive Decline
Because Alpha Lipoic Acid can pass easily into the brain, Alpha Lipoic Acid may be helpful in improving memory and slowing age related cognitive decline12.
Sports Performance and Recovery
Athletes should be particularly interested in maintaining the optimal functionality of the mitochondria, the energy producing ‘powerhouses’ of the cell as well as offsetting the increase in free radical production that occurs with intense exercise. Studies show that Alpha Lipoic Acid enhances the absorption of creatine monohydrate, resulting in an increase in muscle total creatine content13.
References:
1. Barja, G. (2004). “Free radicals and aging.” Trends Neurosci 27(10): 595-600. 2. Harman, D. (2003). “The free radical theory of aging.” Antioxid Redox Signal 5(5): 557-61. 3. Fairfield, K. M. and R.H. Fletcher (2002). “Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: scientific review.” Jama 287(23): 3116-26. 4. Packer, L. Tritschler, HJ., Wessel, K. “Neuroprotection by the metabolic antioxidant alpha lipoic acid.” Free Radical Biol, Med. 1997;22(1-2):359-78. 5. Muller-Hocker J. Mitochondria and ageing. Brain Pathol. 1992 Apr;2(2):149-58. 6. Hagen TM, et al.: Mitochondrial decay in hepatocytes from old rats: embrane potential declines, heterogenicity and oxidants increase. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94: 3064-3069, 1997. 7. Kim MS, Park JY, Namkoong C, Jang PG, Ryu JW, Song HS, Yun JY, Namgoong IS, Ha J, Park IS, Lee IK, Viollet B, Youn JH, Lee HK, Lee KU. Anti-obesity effects of alpha-lipoic acid www.ed by suppression of hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase. Nat Med. 2004 Jul;10(7):727-33. 8 Ou P, Tritschler HJ, Wolff SP. Thioctic (lipoic) acid: a therapeutic metal-chelating antioxidant? Biochem Pharmacol 1995;50:123-126. 9. Nagamatsu, M., et al. “Lipoic acid improves nerve blood flow, reduces oxidative stress and improves distal nerve conduction in experimental diabetic neuropathy.” Diabetes Care, 18: 1160-67, 1995. 10. Jacob S, Henriksen EJ, Tritschler HJ, et al. Improvement of insulin-stimulated glucose-disposal in type 2 diabetes after repeated parenteral administration of thioctic acid. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 1996;104:284-288. 11. Wollin, S.D., Jones, P.J.H. (2003) Lipoic Acid and Cardiovascular Disease, J. Nutr. 133:3327-3330. 12. Farr SA, Poon HF, Dogrukol-Ak D, et al. The antioxidants alpha-lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine reverse memory impairment and brain oxidative stress in aged SAMP8 mice. J Neurochem. 2003;84(5):1173-1183. 13. Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Parise G, Tarnopolsky MA, Candow DG. Effect of alpha-lipoic acid combined with creatine monohydrate on human skeletal muscle creatine and phosphagen concentration. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Sep;13(3):294-302.
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