Alpha Lipoic Acid

[Guest guest]

Glutathione and Alpha Lipoic Acid are connected too, but ALA does not

create glutathione; glutathione must be created from precursors. In a

situation of low glutathione you get illness and infection, even if

you have ALA; glutathione is the master antioxidant so don't forget

the precursors.

 

regards,

 

Duncan Crow

[Guest guest]

The Latest on ALA

 

In 1999 we looked at a relatively new antioxidant

supplement called

alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and concluded that it might

one day prove to be

very important, but that it was too early to recommend

it. Since then

more studies on it have been done. Is the evidence

today strong enough

to support its use?

 

Scientists first discovered the importance of ALA in

the 1950s, and

recognized it as an antioxidant in 1988. It has been

the subject of a

tremendous amount of basic research around the world,

some being done

at

the University of California, Berkeley by Dr. Lester

Packer, a leading

expert on antioxidants.

 

The body needs ALA to produce energy. It plays a

crucial role in the

mitochondria, the energy-producing structures in

cells. The body

actually makes enough ALA for these basic metabolic

functions. This

compound acts as an antioxidant, however, only when

there is an excess

of it and it is in the " free " state in the cells. But

there is little

free ALA circulating in your body, unless you consume

supplements or

get

it injected. Foods contain only tiny amounts of it.

What makes ALA

special as an antioxidant is its versatility—it helps

deactivate an

unusually wide array of cell-damaging free radicals in

many bodily

systems.

 

In particular, ALA helps protect the mitochondria and

the genetic

material, DNA. As we age, mitochondrial function is

impaired, and it’s

theorized that this may be an important contributor to

some of the

adverse effects of aging. ALA also works closely with

vitamin C and E

and some other antioxidants, " recycling " them and thus

making them much

more effective.

 

ALA is being studied in animals and in humans as a

preventive and/or

treatment for many age-related diseases. These range

from heart disease

and stroke to diabetes and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

disease, as well

as declines in energy, muscle strength, brain

function, and immunity.

It

is also being studied for HIV disease and multiple

sclerosis. In

Germany, in particular, it is already prescribed to

treat long-term

complications of diabetes, such as nerve damage,

thought to result in

part from free-radical damage; there is also evidence

that it can help

decrease insulin resistance and thus help control

blood sugar. Many

studies have yielded promising results; others are

still underway.

 

Add some carnitine

 

One of the best-known proponents of ALA is Dr. Bruce

Ames, professor of

molecular and cell biology at the University of

California, Berkeley.

He

has helped develop and study an ALA supplement called

Juvenon, which

has

been patented by UC Berkeley. Juvenon, in addition,

contains another

promising compound, acetyl-L-carnitine, which is also

involved in

energy

production in the mitochondria. Ames and his

colleagues have found that

high doses of these compounds, in combination, enable

elderly rats to

function like younger ones. Of course, the same

results may not occur

in

humans. Human studies are just getting started.

 

Why it is still too soon to act

 

Though evidence has been accumulating, it is clear

that the research on

ALA is still in its early stages. Large, long-term,

well-controlled

studies on human are needed. No one knows what dose

should be used for

what ailment. Most studies have used 100 to 600

milligrams a day, but

higher doses have also been studied.

 

Though ALA so far appears to be safe, the long-term

effects of large

supplemental doses are unknown. If ALA is as powerful

as it seems,

there

may be a danger in too much of a good thing. In

addition, while in

Germany it is sold only by prescription and (like

other supplements) is

monitored by the government, in the U.S. you have no

way of knowing

what’s in the bottles.

 

 

 

Bottom line: We still advise waiting until more

research has been done.

If you have diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, or

Alzheimer’s, you

may be unwilling to wait. In that case, talk to your

doctor before

taking ALA. The supplement may, for instance, affect

the dosage of your

diabetes medication.

 

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, August 2003

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html