Sustained Release Alpha Lipoic Acid ALA Alpha Lipoic Acid benefit Alpha Lipoic Acid side effects
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Alpha
Lipoic Acid benefit as an
Antioxidant
Alpha lipoic acid research indicates it can regenerate vitamin C from its oxidized form, dehydroascorbic acid.
Alpha lipoic acid can also potentially regenerate other antioxidants. Another alpha Lipoic acid
benefit is that it increases the
levels of glutathione, a very important antioxidant normally found in our cells and
responsible for mopping up all types of toxins and free radicals. Glutathione supplements,
however, are not helpful since glutathione does not have the ability to cross cell
membranes. Fortunately, both laboratory and animal studies have shown that alpha lipoic acid can
stimulate the production of this antioxidant. This is particularly important during
periods of excessive stress or exposure to radiation or toxic substances. Alpha
lipoic acid also acts as a powerful antioxidant in the brain and is likely to
protect brain cells from toxins.
Conditions where
Alpha Lipoic acid may benefit
Alpha lipoic acid research in humans is still incomplete. However, alpha lipoic may
have a health benefit in a variety of medical conditions, including diabetes, heart
disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease, and Huntington's disease. We suggest keeping the dosage of alpha lipoic
acid to less than 50 mg a few times a week.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Side Effects
There are no indications that low doses of lipoic acid, such as 5 to 20 mg, have side
effects. Higher doses could cause nausea or stomach upset, along with over-stimulation, fatigue, and insomnia. High
alpha lipoic acid doses could also potentially lower
blood sugar. This is often beneficial to patients who have diabetes, but it
requires close monitoring of blood sugar levels. We have had one report of 300
mg of alpha lipoic acid taken 3 times a day for three weeks led to atrial
fibrillation. Even lower dosages of alpha lipoic acid could lead to heart
palpitations.
Sustained Release Alpha Lipoic Acid questions
Q. Hi, I was wondering if you have heard of a sustained release
form of the Alpha-Lipoic-Acid and what your thoughts are on these
Sustained Release alpha lipoic acid
products? I am asking for my mom who is diabetic and
worried about the complications that can happen from diabetes. I have read
that most forms of alpha lipoic acid
don't stay in the body long enough to help with
most diabetic symptoms and the sustained release
alpha lipoic acid
formulas are supposed
to really help. I have found two patented sustained release
alpha lipoic acid
formulas,
what are your opinions?
A. We have not seen any studies with Sustained Release
Alpha Lipoic Acid to know whether this form is better than regular
alpha lipoic acid.
Alpha lipoic acid emails
Q. I enjoy very much reading your site; one very striking effect I just observed
with alpha lipoic acid
I’d like to share with you. Using 300 mg of
alpha lipoic acid
(approved
pharmaceutical grade bought in German drug stores) every day for several weeks
seems to have caused a 20 – 40% hair loss!
Alpha lipoic acid
intake and hair loss coincide
largely. Checking Medline for such effects it appears not unlikely that
alpha lipoic acid
was
chelating too much iron (and may be other essential trace elements) which is a
common cause for baldness.
A. We have not seen any studies or had other reports that
alpha lipoic acid product use is related to hair loss or hair problems.
Q. I've read your recommendations on dosing for alpha lipoic acid. I'm sure you know of Bruce Ames research on
alpha lipoic acid
and Acetyl-l-carnitine.
Ames sells a formulation of alpha lipoic acid
and Acetyl-l carnitine that provides 400 mg daily of
alpha lipoic acid. This
is far in excess of the dosage you recommend, and yet my understanding is that
the reason Ames included alpha lipoic acid
in his formulation to begin with was because of the
known tendency of acetyl-l carnitine to produce free radicals when metabolized. Bruce Ames
seems to have a fairly impressive board assembled to advise his company, but his
site is essentially a commercial venture.
Do you still maintain that dosages of
alpha lipoic acid
over 50 mg/day are inadvisable, or do
you think that the dosages that Ames' product includes are probably safe?
A. Over the years we have come across opinions from
various doctors and researchers at academic centers regarding supplements. Most
of the time, these researchers form their opinion based on lab studies or
studies on rodents. They rarely take these supplements themselves to see what
actually happens in humans in varying dosages. We don't know whether Bruce Ames
has taken ALC and alpha lipoic acid
in high doses, but Dr. Sahelian has. Dr. S also has had
feedback from dozens of users and has formed an opinion that ALA should not be
taken more than 50 or 100 mg a day and the maximum dose of ALC should preferably
be much less than 500 mg a day. There should be occasional breaks from use, for
instance one or two days off a week, and one week off a month. Other doctors and
researchers may have different opinions. It is for the consumer to decide how to
proceed.
Q. Some of your comments on the internet, along with
other research, led me to switch to the "r" form from the "rs regular" alpha
lipoic acid. I actually bought some r-alpha lipoic acid
from Rainbow Acres in Marina Del Rey,
CA that has your name on it. I read you feel people should not overdose on
antioxidants. You actually mentioned taking even less than 50 mg. ......and
possibly only a few times a week. I currently take one 50 mg pill r-ALA in the
morning and one at night. I was wondering if you had a general "feel" on what is
"too much" r-alpha lipoic acid. I am a 6'1" 200 lbs pro level athlete. I have very aggressive
workouts aerobically and anaerobically. Plenty of chances to manufacture free
radicals. I have never looked too much into anti-oxidants, but with the AMAZING
energy changes I have felt already, I can only wonder how much I have been kept
from full recovery and/or performance due to free radical damage/build up. What
got me into all this was a dramatic change in my aerobic ability from somewhere
near 6 hours a week to ONE HOUR the last few months. I will be 50 years old this
year. I am currently back to about 4 hours of aerobics a week with the addition
of l-carnitine / acetyl-l-carnitine a month ago, and r-alpha lipoic acid
just a few days ago.
Sorry for the length of this........any advice/info would be greatly
appreciated.
A. Each doctor who has studied nutritional supplements has their
own preference and dosage guidelines. I tend to be cautious and prefer using low
dosages of several supplements rather than a high amount of one or two. Hence,
since there are countless nutrients and herbs that have antioxidant and
beneficial properties, I prefer alternating different ones rather than taking
the same one every day. As to r-alpha lipoic acid, I am staying with my current recommendation
of 50 mg 2 or 3 times a week or a smaller amount more frequently. See the
antioxidant page for additional suggestions, including MultiVit Rx.
Q. I understand a product called Juvenon has alpha
lipoic acid. Can you tell me more about this product?
A. See Juvenon
for more info.
Q. I am from India working as a chemist. I want to
know whether alpha lipoic acid can be given as antioxidant through intravenous
intravenous route along with other drugs.
A. We have not had experience giving alpha lipoic acid
intravenously, so we are not the people to ask regarding this.
Q. What is the benefit of taking r alpha lipoic acid?
A. The benefit of taking r alpha lipoic acid is that it is a
powerful antioxidant and may be of benefit in chronic conditions including
diabetes.
Q. Is there a danger to alpha lipoic acid?
A. There is a danger to alpha lipoic acid high dose use. We have
had a couple of reports of heart rhythm problems when people took more than 300
mg.
Q. What is the right dosage of alpha lipoic acid for
neuropathy?
A. Research with alpha lipoic acid and neuropathy for long term use
is not available. Even though early research was done with dosages of 300 to 900
mg a day, this does not mean this is the correct alpha lipoic acid dosage for
prolonged use. It is possible much, much lower dosages could be helpful with
fewer side effects.
Q. I take levothyroxine for hypothyroidism. I have
read that alpha lipoic acid can affect the thyroid function in hypothyroidsm.
Does that mean it will lower the effect of levothyroixine? I would like to try
alpha lipoic acid to lower my blood sugar.
A. We can only find one study on the role of alpha lipoic acid and
thyroid function. It appears that alpha lipoic acid interferes with the
conversion of T4 to T3. We also got a recent email from someone who had a bad
reaction to taking 50 mg of R alpha lipoic acid after taking Levoxyl, a thyroid
hormone medication.
Effect of alpha lipoic acid on the peripheral
conversion of thyroxine to triiodothyronine and on serum lipid-, protein- and
glucose levels. Arzneimittelforschung. 1991 Dec;41(12):1294-8. Institute of
Clinical Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Fed. Rep. of Germany.
The influence of alpha-lipoic acid on thyroid hormone metabolism and serum
lipid-, protein- and glucose levels was investigated. In the first setup of
experiments administration of alpha lipoic acid together with thyroxine (T4) for
9 days suppressed the T4 induced increase of T3 generation by 56%. This
suppression was similar to that affected by 6-propylthiouracil (54%). Alpha
lipoic acid or T4 alone did not affect the cholesterol level, but together they
led to a reduction. alpha lipoic acid decreased the triglyceride level by 45%;
the decrease induced by T4 or alpha lipoic acid plus T4 was not significant.
Total protein and albumin levels decreased by alpha lipoic acid plus T4
treatment when compared to the alpha lipoic acid control. The slight increase in
glucose level by alpha lipoic acid or T4 alone was not observed when they were
administered together. In the second setup of experiments the administration of
T4 for 22 days increased the serum T3 level 3-fold. When alpha lipoic acid was
combined with T4 and the treatment continued, the T3 production decreased by
22%. T4 reduced cholesterol level by 30%, and alpha lipoic acid plus T4 further
reduced it by 47%. The triglycerides were not affected. A moderate decrease in
total protein was observed after treatment with T4 plus LA; T4 and alpha lipoic
acid plus T4 decreased the albumin level. The decrease in serum glucose by T4
recovers by alpha lipoic acid treatment. These results demonstrate that alpha
lipoic acid interferes with the production of T3 from T4 when it is
co-administered with T4. The elevated level of T3, after T4 administration, is
reduced by treatment with alpha lipoic acid.
Q. Please be advised that within an hour of taking
his first R-Alpha Lipoic Acid 50 mg capsule, my husband's heart rate suddenly
doubled. Further study revealed that the upper and lower chambers of his heart
were beating independently. After much research, we read a study that mentioned
in a footnote an adverse reaction to this supplement in mice who were taking
Levoxyl. My husband had taken his usual 75mg of Levoxyl earlier that morning. It
took several days for his heart to return to normal. You may want to include
information regarding this conflict in medications in your website details.
A. We very much appreciate you letting us know about this reaction.
The first time we have had anyone taking Levoxyl have a reaction to R alpha
lipoic acid that they have given us feedback with, we will mention this on
the website for others to see just in case others may have a problem with the
combination of R alpha lipoic acid and thyroid hormones.
Q. Can I take Eyesight Rx and your R-Alpha Lipoic
Acid on the same day? I plan on using these two supplements and L-carnitine &
want to know the best dosage for all three weekly.
A. As long as the dosage is low, such as a third of eyesight rx and
a third of alpha lipoic acid, then it should be fine. Higher amounts can lead to
being alert late into the evening at bedtime. We suggest learning how each one
works by itself in your body before combining two of them and then up to three.
We can't give any more specific suggestions since each person responds
differently and it is impossible for us to predict your response.
Q. I discovered your alpha lipoic acid website just recently as well as the analyses of different supplements I'm interested in. (Via Google) Your work is excellent and very important. I've been browsing on internet for a longtime re treatment of DM2, HTN High cholesterol. Started as per numerous and similar advices with Alpha Lipoic Acid, Hesperidine and Quercetin with lots of hope. The alpha lipoic acid ( Chalcone ) almost resulted in a syncope -- the very first time and the second attempt (I took 250mg both time in a span of 2 months) I had extremely violent tachycardia ----and very high blood pressure. I also experienced bone and joints pain. As per your analysis of this supplement I realize the dosage was very high. Thank God I found you!! I thought I will die. I thought this will help you to confirm the very similar alpha lipoic acid symptoms your clients vented on your web site. I Think one has to experience on himself first with the smallest dosage possible and than make slow adjustments. Thank you very much for your diligent work--you just may have saved my life. If you have some input to improve my metabolic syndrome the natural way I certainly will appreciate it.
Q. Thanks a lot for the continuity and quality of
your advices. I'm a French doctor working in anti-aging in China.
Can you give me any suggestions to get ALPHA LIPOIC acid FOR IV PROGRAM ?
A. We are not familiar with the use of alpha lipoic acid by
intravenous form. We would be concerned about cardiac heart rhythm problems.
Q. I have recently purchased and started using R
Alpha Lipoic acid supplement 50 mg. Started with a whole capsule, couldn't sleep
that night. Backed off to 1/2 capsule for two weeks. Sleep ok. Started back at
whole capsule as I was already seeing positive effects on my memory and
concentration. ( I had a diagnosis of early Alzheimers several years ago.
Diagnosis refuted by a second physician) For the past two weeks I have had six
or eight nights when I suffered a muscle cramp in my leg ( Charlie horse). I am
backing off the R Alpha Lipoic acid supplement to a capsule every other day, on
the possibility that the problem with leg cramps could be related.
A. We are not sure about the leg cramps, but we do know that some
people are sensitive to alpha lipoic acid and 25 mg a day may be more
appropriate and less likely to cause insomnia or shallow sleep.
Q. Does r alpha lipoic acid interfere with Synthroid
medication?
A. Much depends on dosage. If the alpha lipoic acid is 10 mg for
instance it may not, but if it is 100 mg, it could cause overstimulation and
insomnia. We have not seen any studies where individuals on Synthroid or thyroid
hormones were given r alpha lipoic acid and then monitored for various hormone
or thyroid levels.
Q. I was wondering if you have any information on how
alpha lipoic acid could effect a pancreas transplant?
A. I have no idea how alpha lipoic acid supplement use would
influence a pancreas transplant.
Q. Thank you SO much for the information about Alpha Lipoic Acid on your website. I started taking it preventively for eye, heart and brain health due to some related diseases in my family history. I've been taking 100 mg a day (as per the recommended dose on the bottle) for about a month and have started having very odd palpitations in my heart. I thought it was due to stress, although something in my brain said that wasn't the cause. I listened to my inner voice and decided to stop taking the Alpha Lipoic Acid as a test to see if that might be the cause, since I traced the beginning of the heart issues back to about a week after starting the ALA. After just three days of being off the ALA, the heart palpitations stopped. That's when I found your website and the warnings. More people should be aware of the proper doses in which to take this supplement. It has great benefits, to be sure, but not if your heart stops working properly!!
Q. Thank you for maintaining your excellent website
as a source of important information about supplements. Regarding your R alpha
Lipoic acid: a number of other brands include biotin for better absorption; is
there a reason yours does not? Do you feel it makes any difference one way or
the other?
A. I have not seen any evidence that the inclusion of biotin to an
alpha lipoic acid supplement is necessary.
Q. The health food store manager was pushing 200 mg
alpha lipoic acid three times a day. We bought the 200 mg and we have alpha
lipoic acid 100 mg at home. Would taking either supplement daily be a high
dosage?
A. Different people have different needs, but we don't think, as a
general rule, most people require more than 100 to 200 mg total of alpha lipoic
acid within a period of one week. Much also depends on what other supplements
and medicines are being taken and the general health of the person, their
cardiac status, their liver and kidney functions, etc.