Super Alpha Lipoic Acid w/Biotin, 250 mg., 60 capsules

Alpha lipoic acid has been called the “universal” antioxidant. It boosts glutathione levels in cells, has potent antioxidant action in almost all the tissues of the body, and is a co-factor for some of the key enzymes (alpha keto acid dehydrogenases) involved in generating energy from food and oxygen in mitochondria. Alpha lipoic acid is known by a variety of technical names including thiotic acid, 1,2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid, 1,2-dithiolane-3-valeric acid, and 6,8-thiotic acid. When it functions as a co-factor for energy production, it is slightly modified and usually called lipomide or lipoate.

When alpha lipoic acid was first isolated in the early 1950’s, it was tentatively classified as a vitamin because of its vitamin-like properties. The method by which alpha lipoic acid is synthesized within the body has not yet been fully characterized, but its precursors appear to be octanoate and the sulfur amino acid cysteine. Recent findings show that both alpha lipoic acid and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) function as potent antioxidants within the body, and that both these compounds may be effective in preventing and treating the complications of diabetes and, perhaps, aging itself.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Meets all Antioxidant Evaluation Criteria

One of the leading free radical researchers in the world is Lester Packer, who heads the Membrane Bioenergetics Group and Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Packer’s review article entitled “Alpha-Lipoic Acid As A Biological Antioxidant” (in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine) presents a compelling case for the “universal” antioxidant properties of alpha lipoic acid.

In his article, Dr. Packer proposes that the following biochemical criteria be considered when evaluating the antioxidant potential of a compound:

Specificity of free radical quenching

Metal chelating activity

Interaction with other antioxidants

Effects on gene expression

Dr. Packer then presents other important criteria for use when considering the preventive and therapeutic applications of an antioxidant:

Absorption and bioavailability

Concentration in tissues, cells, and extracellular fluids

Location (in aqueous or membrane domains, or both)

After presenting these criteria, Dr. Packer makes it clear that an antioxidant need only meet a few of them to play an important role in the body.

“A substance need not excel in meeting all these criteria to be considered a good antioxidant. For example, vitamin E acts only in the membrane or lipid domains, its dominant action is to quench lipid peroxyl radicals, and it has little or no activity against radicals in the aqueous phase, yet it is considered one of the central antioxidants of the body. Epidemiological studies are confirming its role in the prevention of numerous oxidant-related diseases, such as heart disease.”

After reviewing hundreds of studies dealing with the antioxidant properties of alpha lipoic acid, Dr. Packer came to the following conclusions:

“An ‘ideal’ antioxidant would fulfill all of the above criteria. The alpha lipoic acid-dihydrolipoic acid redox couple approaches the ideal; it has been called the “universal antioxidant”. Alpha lipoic acid is readily absorbed from the diet. It is rapidly converted to DHLA in many tissues, as recent advances in assay technique have made evident. One or both of the components of the redox couple effectively quench a number of free radicals in both lipid and aqueous domains. Both DHLA and alpha lipoic acid have metal-chelating activity. DHLA acts synergistically with other antioxidants, indicating that it is capable of regenerating other antioxidants from their radical or inactive forms. Finally, there is evidence that they may have effects on regulatory proteins and on genes involved in normal growth and metabolism.”

Regeneration of Other Antioxidants

One of the most beneficial effects of both alpha lipoic acid and DHLA is their ability to regenerate other essential antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10, and glutathione. The evidence is especially strong for the ability of DHLA to recycle vitamin E. This is apparently achieved directly by quenching tocopherol radicals or indirectly by reducing vitamin C or increasing the levels of ubiquinol (a derivative of CoQ10) and glutathione, that in turn, helps to regenerate tissue levels of vitamin E.

This ability of alpha lipoic acid to regenerate vitamin E was shown graphically in an experiment in which three groups of nude (hairless) 12-week-old mice were studied for six weeks. The first group of mice, (A), which received a normal diet during this period, developed normally. The second group of mice, (B), which were fed a vitamin E-deficient diet, showed marked signs of atrophy and degeneration. The third group of mice, (C), were fed a vitamin E-deficient diet supplemented with alpha lipoic acid. These animals showed none of the atrophy and degeneration found in the second group, indicating that the alpha lipoic acid had protected them against the degenerative effects of vitamin E deficiency.

No Adverse Side Effects

In clinical studies to date with alpha lipoic acid, there have been no reported serious adverse side effects, even at the high doses used to treat diabetics and patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Among the mild, reversible side effects found in some patients have been allergic skin reactions and possible hypoglycemia in diabetics. However, according to Dr. Packer, Alpha Lipoic Acid can compete with biotin and interfere with its activity in the body. Therefore, additional biotin should be taken when the daily intake of Alpha Lipoic acid exceeds 100 mgs.

Caution:

People with a vitamin B12 deficiency should avoid alpha lipoic acid as its use may cause a worsening of symptoms.

1 capsule contains:

250 mg of pure pharmaceutical grade alpha lipoic acid and 2500 mcg of biotin.

Other ingredients: rice flour, gelatin and water.

Dosage and use

Two capsules daily are suggested for healthy people.

Two to four capsules daily are suggested for those with diabetes and other degenerative diseases.

This page was last modified on Thursday December 13, 2007