Home > Anti-aging Research > Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Specific Recommendations:

• Alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com and iHerb

News & Research:

• Insulin Resistance - Dr. Weil - "Supplements: ... Coenzyme Q10 ... Alpha-lipoic acid ... Magnesium ... Chromium"
• Several Supplements May Give the Heart a Boost - WebMD, 12/8/22 - "Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, vegetable oils, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables ... Omega-6 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds ... L-arginine, an amino acid that helps the body build protein. It can be found in protein-rich foods like fish, red meat, poultry, soy, whole grains, beans, and dairy products ... L-citrulline, a nonessential amino acid found in watermelon ... Folic acid, a form of vitamin B9 used for deficiency and to prevent pregnancy complications. It is added to cold cereals, flour, breads, pasta, bakery items, cookies, and crackers, as required by federal law. Foods that are naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables, okra, asparagus, certain fruits, beans, yeast, mushrooms, animal liver and kidney, orange juice, and tomato juice ... Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. Fatty fish (such as trout, salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources ... Magnesium, which keeps blood pressure normal, bones strong, and your heart rhythm steady. In addition to supplements, magnesium can be found in green leafy vegetables like spinach, nuts, beans, peas, and soybeans, as well as whole-grain cereals ... Zinc, found in chicken, red meat, and fortified breakfast cereals ... Alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant made naturally in the body and also found in foods. It is in red meat, carrots, beets, spinach, broccoli, and potatoes ... Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant found in cold-water fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardines; vegetable oils; and meats ... Melatonin ... Plant-based polyphenols such as catechin, curcumin, flavanol, genistein, and quercetin"
• Lipoic acid supplements help some obese but otherwise healthy people lose weight - Science Daily, 8/12/20 - "analyzed the effects of 24 weeks of daily, 600-milligram doses of lipoic acid supplements on 31 people, with a similarly sized control group receiving a placebo ... The data clearly showed a loss in body weight and body fat in people taking lipoic acid supplements ... When taken as a dietary supplement, lipoic acid displays additional properties that might be unrelated to the function in the mitochondria. They include the stimulation of glucose metabolism, antioxidant defenses and anti-inflammatory responses -- making it a possible complementary treatment for people with diabetes, heart disease and age-related cognitive decline ... people who lost weight on lipoic acid also reduced their blood triglyceride levels -- that effect was clear" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• OTC Supplement May Reduce Brain Atrophy in SPMS - Medscape, 9/25/16 - "The small, 51-patient pilot trial showed that those randomly assigned to 1200 mg of lipoic acid daily had a significantly lower annualized rate of whole-brain atrophy at 96 weeks, as measured by MRI, than the participants who were assigned to matching placebo ... At 96 weeks, the group receiving placebo had a whole-brain atrophy rate of 0.65% per year, "which is comparable to rates in other progressive MS natural history cohorts," ... On the other hand, use of lipoic acid resulted in a significantly lower annualized atrophy rate of 0.22%, which represented a 66% reduction vs placebo"
• Anti-aging tricks from dietary supplement seen in mice - Science Daily, 8/21/15 - "the dietary supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can stimulate telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis ... ALA appears to exert its effects against atherosclerosis by spurring the smooth muscle cells that surround blood vessels to make PGC1 (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1)-alpha ... What's new here is that we show that PGC1-alpha is regulating telomerase, and that has real beneficial effects on cellular stress in a mouse model of atherosclerosis" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.
• Brain injuries in mice treated using bone marrow stem cells, antioxidants - Science Daily, 11/21/14 - "The research team used the experience they obtained from their previous investigations on the neuroregenerative efficiency of lipoic acid to develop a new remediation strategy for patients of brain damage. This new therapy combines the transplantation of bone marrow stem cells into the brain -- in this case, the brains of adult rats -- with the administration of the potent antioxidant lipoic acid ... Lipoic acid is already used in the treatment of degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis or diabetic neuropathy ... Combining an antioxidant such as lipoic acid with bone marrow stem cells has proven to be an effective remedy" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.
• Lipoic acid helps restore, synchronize 'biological clock' - Science Daily, 7/17/14 - "Researchers fed laboratory animals higher levels of lipoic acid than might be attained in a normal diet, while monitoring proteins known to be affected by disruption of the circadian clock in older animals ... They found that lipoic acid helped remediate some of the liver dysfunction that's often common in old age, and significantly improved the function of their circadian rhythms"
• Combination Antioxidant Therapy May Help Fatty Liver - Medscape, 11/7/11 - "A combination of vitamin E and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can improve the inflammatory and steatosis scores in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis ... combination therapy resulted in a 70% difference in change in tumor necrosis factors-alpha levels from baseline. ... ALA alone or vitamin E alone were not as effective ... Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease in the world ... In the United States, 20% of the general population and 75% to 92% of the morbidly obese population suffer from the disease" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com and Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.
• New Approach Discovered To Lowering Triglycerides - Science Daily, 3/30/09 - "In the lab animals, supplements of lipoic acid lowered triglyceride levels up to 60 percent ... supplements of lipoic acid appeared to affect triglyceride levels through two pathways. After eating, lipoic acid supplementation increased the rate of disappearance of triglycerides in the bloodstream. And supplements also reduced the genetic expression of enzymes in the liver that synthesize triglycerides ... Lipoic acid supplements have in various studies been shown to be an appetite suppressant ... The amount of lipoic acid supplementation used in these laboratory experiments would equate to about two grams per day for a 150-pound person"
• Lipoic acid and carnitine combo show diabetes potential - Nutra USA, 2/18/08 - [Abstract] - "the combination of LA and LCAR increased the mass, oxygen consumption, mitochondrial DNA expression, and fatty acid oxidation in the fat cells ... However, the treatments with LA or ALC alone at the same concentrations showed little effect on mitochondrial function and biogenesis ... Lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine have become very hot after our reports on the complementary effects on improving memory and ambulatory activity in old rats"
• Lipoic Acid Could Reduce Atherosclerosis, Weight Gain - Science Daily, 1/14/08 - "lipoic acid supplements reduced atherosclerotic lesion formation in two types of mice that are widely used to study cardiovascular disease, by 55 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The supplements were also associated with almost 40 percent less body weight gain, and lower levels of triglycerides in very low-density lipoproteins" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Lipoic Acid Explored As Anti-aging Compound - Science Daily, 5/17/07 - "mice supplemented with lipoic acid have a cognitive ability, behavior, and genetic expression of almost 100 detoxification and antioxidant genes that are comparable to that of young animals"
• Four powerhouse nutrients - Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, 4/05 - "L-carnitine shuttles fuel into cells to be burned as energy; coenzyme Q10 sparks the energy within the cells; ribose is a component of adenosine triphosphate (ATP); and alpha-lipoic acid increases ATP levels"
• Testing of Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplements By Consumerlab.com Finds Most Meet Label Claims :: Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center :: News - NPI Center, 12/21/04 - "one of 21 alpha-lipoic acid supplements recently tested contained only 15% of the alpha-lipoic acid that it claimed ... There is fairly good evidence that alpha-lipoic acid can be help people with diabetes"
• The Advantage of Single Daily Dosages of Herbal Medicines - Dr. Murray's Natural Facts, 9/15/04 - "Based upon the clinical research over the last 30 years and the pharmacokinetics of immediate-release alpha-lipoic acid, it appears to be obviously superior to the timed-release product"
• Antioxidant [alpha]-Lipoic Acid Provides Relief for Diabetic Polyneuropathy - Doctor's Guide, 6/20/03 - "After 3 weeks, alpha-lipoic acid had a 24.1% improvement over placebo ... for TSS [Total Symptom Score] and 16.0% for NIS [Neuropathy Impairment Score]"
• Alpha Lipoic Acid Helping the Fight against Diabetes - Physician's Weekly, 5/12/03 - "the over-the-counter antioxidant supplement alpha lipoic acid has been effective against the burning, numbness and pain that often is associated with diabetic neuropathy. The antioxidant works mainly as a pain medication and was clinically shown to have few side effects"
• Antioxidant Soothes Diabetic Neuropathy - WebMD, 4/11/03 - "Alpha lipoic acid seems to actually change the metabolism of the nerve or blood supply to the nerve ... It is a very strong antioxidant and it is assumed that oxidation plays a role in the development of diabetes ... This means the substance -- produced in very small amounts by the body and also found in foods such as potatoes and red meat -- protects against damage by cell-ravaging "free radicals." This oxidation process is implicated in various diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and neurologic conditions including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's ... alpha lipoic acid improves the function of cell "transporters" that carry and distribute glucose. "This helps insulin do its role,"" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Alpha-Lipoic Acid Helpful in Diabetic Neuropathy - Medscape, 3/7/03 - "Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) rapidly and significantly reduces sensory symptoms and pain of diabetic neuropathy"
• 12 Ways to Feel and Look Younger - WebMD, 10/25/02 - "In addition to the effective antioxidant vitamin C, Morris says CoQ10, vitamin E, alpha lipoic acid (another antioxidant), and perhaps some of those "mental acuity" mixtures in the health-food store should be in your medicine cabinet"
• ALC and Alpha-Lipoic Acid - Dr. Janson's Newsletter, 7/02 - "The recent studies in rats show that ALC (especially when combined with the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid) can protect the brain from the oxidative damage related to aging, and can protect the mitochondrial membranes ... when older animals are supplemented with ALC and lipoic acid they are more physically active, have better short-term memory, and overall enhanced cognitive function. (They also have better liver function because of the same protection of the mitochondria, with increased mitochondrial metabolism and reduced oxidative damage.) ... It appears that these nutrients also help the heart, especially when taken together. While ALC helps restore cardiac carnitine levels, and improves cardiac energy, the aging heart also becomes sensitive to oxidative stress. For protection from such stress, you need to combine the ALC with alpha-lipoic acid (LA) ... It is apparent that the accelerated aging that results from lifestyle choices, stress, and oxidative exposures, can be slowed or even reversed"
• Do Anti-aging Supplements Really Work? - Life Extension Magazine, 6/02 - "The National Academy of Sciences has published three new reports showing that aging may be partially reversible with currently available supplements"
• Putting Antioxidants To Use In Functional Formulas - Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, 5/02 - "Clinical studies have found that it can improve insulin function, helping to improve glucose tolerance in people with diabetes.15,16 Some researchers have suggested that long-term use of alpha-lipoic acid may help prevent adult-onset diabetes"
• The Wizard is Oz - Life Extension Magazine, 11/01 - "Best-selling author and nutritional guru to the rich and famous, Oz Garcia is singing the praises of the Life Extension Foundation and its products in his newest book, The Healthy High Tech Body, published in September 2001 ... Supplements at the top of Garcia's list of recommendations ... DHA ... NADH ... Alpah Lipoic Acid ... Acetyl-L-Carnitine ... An expanded list of his recommendations includes lycopene, gamma tocopherol, vinpocetine, SAMe, folic acid, carnosine, glutathione, DMAE, Huperzine A, probiotics, MSM, secretagogues, arginine pyroglutamate, IP-6, bioflavonoid formulas and grape skin/seed extracts"
• The Prediabetic Epidemic - Nutrition Science News, 3/01 - "Supplements to Regulate Glucose and Insulin ... Alpha-Lipoic Acid ... Only recently have researchers understood its antioxidant actions quench free radicals responsible for many diabetic complications. It also lowers glucose levels—by 10 to 30 percent—and improves insulin function ... Vitamin E ... Vitamin C ... Chromium ... Silymarin"
• Sustain the Brain - Nutrition Science News, 2/01 - "ALA may protect the body from oxidative damage by enhancing detoxifying agents such as glutathione, which occurs in the brain and serves as an antioxidant in these tissues ... Results of animal studies demonstrate that ALA can reduce damage to neurons caused by toxic substances that are by-products of inflammatory processes.12 Another animal study showed memory improvement in aged rats given ALA ... Clinical trials conducted in Germany have shown ALA to be valuable for treating diabetic polyneuropathy, a disease involving the peripheral nerves. Supplementation was shown to improve motor and sensory nerve conduction"
• Some Diabetics Buck Tradition and Turn to Herbs - WebMD, 10/9/00 - "Researchers have submitted study results to the journal Diabetes Care for another natural product -- alpha lipoic acid, known by the brand name Glucotize. The product "lowers blood sugar levels, which is excellent," ... "Because that's what causes a lot of diabetic complications.""
• Staying Young Forever, Putting new research findings into practice - Life Extension Foundation, 12/99 - "lipoic acid is the only antioxidant that can boost the level of intracellular glutathione, a cellular antioxidant of tremendous importance. Besides being the body's primary water-soluble antioxidant and a major detoxification agent, glutathione is absolutely essential for the functioning of the immune system"

Abstracts:

• Role of alpha-lipoic acid in counteracting paclitaxel- and doxorubicin-induced toxicities: a randomized controlled trial in breast cancer patients - Support Care Cancer 2022 May 21 - "Paclitaxel and doxorubicin are associated with neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity respectively ... Patients were assessed by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE version 4.0) for grading of neuropathy and by 12-item neurotoxicity questionnaire (Ntx-12) ... As compared to placebo, ALA provoked significant improvement in NCI-CTCAE neuropathy grading and Ntx-12 score after the end of 9th and 12th weeks of paclitaxel intake ... Alpha-lipoic acid may represent a promising adjuvant therapy to attenuate paclitaxel-associated neuropathy and doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in women with breast cancer" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Effects of alpha lipoic acid on metabolic syndrome: A comprehensive review - Phytother Res 2022 Mar 2 - "Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial disease with medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) possesses various pharmacological effects, including antidiabetic, antiobesity, hypotensive, and hypolipidemia actions. It exhibits reactive oxygen species scavenger properties against oxidation and age-related inflammation and refines MetS components. Also, α-LA activates the 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and inhibits the NFκb. It can decrease cholesterol biosynthesis, fatty acid β-oxidation, and vascular stiffness. α-LA decreases lipogenesis, cholesterol biosynthesis, low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein levels, and atherosclerosis. Moreover, α-LA increases insulin secretion, glucose transport, and insulin sensitivity. These changes occur via PI3K/Akt activation. On the other hand, α-LA treats central obesity by increasing adiponectin levels and mitochondrial biogenesis and can reduce food intake mainly by SIRT1 stimulation"
• Therapeutic Benefits of Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplementation in Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review - J Diet Suppl 2021 Dec 23 - "Elevated oxidative stress is a common denominator between pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and diabetes complications, prompting the use of antioxidant compounds in diabetes therapy. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), has been investigated for its role as a potent antioxidant in diabetes treatment and the results from clinical trials indicate improved glucose metabolism, reduced oxidative stress, improved endothelial dysfunction, a decline in platelet reactivity and moderate improvements to weight loss yet conflicting data regarding insulin metabolism. ALA inhibits nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB), chelates divalent transient metal ions and induces the expression of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)"
• α-Lipoic Acid Has the Potential to Normalize Copper Metabolism, Which Is Dysregulated in Alzheimer's Disease - J Alzheimers Dis 2021 Nov 30 - "Collectively, these results provide evidence that LA has the potential to normalize copper metabolism in AD"
• Lipoic acid prevents mirtazapine-induced weight gain in mice without impairs its antidepressant-like action in a neuroendocrine model of depression - Behav Brain Res 2021 Nov 16 - "Mirtazapine (MIRT) is a multi-target antidepressant used in treatment of severe depression with promising efficacy, but also with important side effects, mainly sedation and weight gain ... Our findings provide promising evidence about the ALA potential to prevent metabolic and weight changes associated to MIRT, without impair its antidepressant and pro-cognition actions. Therefore, ALA+MIRT combination could represent a new therapeutic strategy for treating depression with less side effects" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Long-Term Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) Antioxidant Therapy Reduces Damage in the Cardiovascular System of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats - J Diet Suppl 2021 Nov 22 - "Cellular damage, lipid oxidation and the action of inflammatory cytokines are implicated in the evolution of vascular complications associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) hyperglycemia. In contrast, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a supplement with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects ... ALA addition to the diet attenuated the negative effects in lipid profile; moreover, renal, hepatic and inflammatory parameters reduced or displayed values close to the values of the normal control. The anti-inflammatory effect of ALA was observed in diabetic animals, with a reduction of inflammatory citokines, accompanied by the improvement of morphological parameters in the aorta. In conclusion, long-term supplementation with ALA promoted systemic improvement, thus reducing the risk of vascular diseases. The changes in the renal and hepatic parameters without any negative impact in the hematological profile also show that ALA can be indicated as a low-risk prophylaxis or complementary therapy"
• Alpha lipoic acid supplementation affects serum lipids in a dose and duration-dependent manner in different health status - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 Oct 4 - "ALA caused a significant reduction on TC (WMD): -10.78 mg/dl, 95% CI: -20.81, -0.74, P=0.002), LDL (WMD: -10.88 mg/dl, 95% CI: -19.52, -2.24, P=0.014) and TG (WMD: -31.02 mg/dl, 95% CI: -49.63, -12.42, P<0.001). There was also a non-significant increaes in HDL concentrations. In addition, dose-response analysis showed a positive association between LDL (Pnon-linearity=0.026), TG (Pnon-linearity<0.001) and duration of intervention in a non-linear model. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis revealed the beneficial effects of ALA supplementation on TC, LDL and TG levels. Moreover, the beneficial effects of ALA supplementation on LDL and TG levels was duration-dependent"
• The review of alpha-linolenic acid: Sources, metabolism, and pharmacology - Phytother Res 2021 Sep 22 - "The following findings are mainly contained. (a) ALA can only be ingested from food and then converted into eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the body. (b) This conversion process is relatively limited and affected by many factors such as dose, gender, and disease. (c) Pharmacological research shows that ALA has the anti-metabolic syndrome, anticancer, antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-obesity, neuroprotection, and regulation of the intestinal flora properties. (d) There are the most studies that prove ALA has anti-metabolic syndrome effects, including experimental studies and clinical trials. (e) The therapeutic effect of ALA will be affected by the dosage. In short, ALA is expected to treat many diseases, but further high quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of ALA"
• Effects of alpha-lipoic acid treatment on serum progranulin levels and inflammatory markers in diabetic neuropathy - J Int Med Res 2021 May - "Progranulin (PGRN) is a secreted growth factor that helps to regulate neuronal survival by blocking tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) receptors. The antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is used in diabetic neuropathy to improve nerve conduction and relieve neuropathic pain, but its effects on PGRN levels have not yet been elucidated ... 54 patients with type 2 diabetes and peripheral neuropathy received 600 mg of ALA daily for 6 months. Twenty-four patients with diabetes without neuropathy were also included in the study ... After ALA treatment, serum PGRN levels were significantly increased and CPT values were significantly improved. Furthermore, there were significant positive correlations among TNFα, ICAM-1, and PGRN levels both before and after ALA treatment. A significant negative correlation was observed between the improvements in CPT and the PGRN levels. Furthermore, ICAM-1 levels were an independent predictor of PGRN levels ... Conclusions: Changes in serum PGRN levels indicate that ALA treatment may have beneficial effects on endothelial function and neuronal inflammation"
• An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials on the effects of Alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 Apr 8 - "The findings of the meta-analysis showed that ALA supplementation significantly reduced CRP (WMD: -0.69 mg/L, 95% CI: -1.13, -0.26, P=0.002), IL-6 (WMD: -1.83 pg/ml, 95% CI: -2.90, -0.76, P=0.001), and TNF-α concentrations (WMD: -0.45 pg/ml, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.04, P=0.032). No evidence of departure from linearity was observed between dose and duration of the ALA supplementation on serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α concentration. In subgroup analysis, ALA dosage, baseline concentrations of the parameter, sample size, and gender were considered as possible sources of heterogeneity. In summary, ALA supplementation improves inflammatory markers without any evidence of non-linear association to dose or duration of the trial"
• An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials on the effects of Alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 Apr 8 - "The findings of the meta-analysis showed that ALA supplementation significantly reduced CRP (WMD: -0.69 mg/L, 95% CI: -1.13, -0.26, P=0.002), IL-6 (WMD: -1.83 pg/ml, 95% CI: -2.90, -0.76, P=0.001), and TNF-α concentrations (WMD: -0.45 pg/ml, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.04, P=0.032). No evidence of departure from linearity was observed between dose and duration of the ALA supplementation on serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α concentration. In subgroup analysis, ALA dosage, baseline concentrations of the parameter, sample size, and gender were considered as possible sources of heterogeneity. In summary, ALA supplementation improves inflammatory markers without any evidence of non-linear association to dose or duration of the trial"
• Alpha-lipoic acid supplementation increases the efficacy of exercise- and diet-induced obesity treatment and induces immunometabolic changes in female mice and women - FASEB J 2021 Apr - "First, we showed by in vitro experiments that ALA favors the polarization of mice CD4 + T cells toward Tregs. Next, we have carried out a translational study where female obese mice and women were supplemented with ALA or vehicle/placebo (mice: 2.5 gALA /kgfood ; 6 weeks; women: 600 mgALA /day, 8 weeks) while following a protocol including regular exercise and a change in diet. Fatty acid oxidation potential and activity of nuclear erythroid-related factor 2 (NRF2) of mouse secondary lymphoid tissues were improved by ALA supplementation. ALA reduced visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass and preserved Tregs in VAT in mice. In women, ALA supplementation induced significant metabolic changes of circulating CD4 + T cells including increased oxidative capacity and fatty acid oxidation, ameliorated their redox status, and improved the reduction of visceral fat mass"
• The effects of alpha lipoic acid on muscle strength recovery after a single and a short-term chronic supplementation - a study in healthy well-trained individuals after intensive resistance and endurance training - J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2020 Dec 1 - "In the chronic training experiment, a moderate inhibition of muscle damage and inflammation could be observed in the ALA-group. Performance in the back squat was significantly reduced in the placebo-group, but not in the ALA-group" - [Nutra USA]
• Effects of alpha lipoic acid as a supplement in obese children and adolescents - Cytokine. 2020 Apr 4 - "Obesity is significantly associated with inflammatory process and oxidative stress. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant that has been reported for reducing weight in animals and obese adults in several studies but no data are available in pediatrics ... Eighty obese children and adolescents were randomized into two groups; the treatment group (n = 40) who received 300 mg of ALA twice daily for 3 months and the control group (n = 40) who received placebo for 3 months ... ALA treatment group had a significant reduction of the weight, BMI, MDA, TNF-α, and leptin levels but a significant increase of adiponectin level (P < 0.05) compared to the control group. However, it had no effect on FBG or lipid profile"
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) Improve Cholesterol Homeostasis in Obesity by Modulating Distinct Hepatic Protein Pathways - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2020 Jan 9:e1900599 - "ALA-HFD significantly reduced liver weight, hepatic cholesterol levels and expression of the cholesterol synthesis enzyme farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FDPS) relative to HFD. ALA further increased expression of acetyl-coA oxidase (Acox1)-associated proteins and suppressed PPARα-induced proteins relative to HFD. CLA did not significantly attenuate hepatic lipid levels but was associated with reduced hepatic expression of fatty acid binding protein (FABP)-1/FABP4 levels relative to HFD, and reduced inflammatory pathway activation relative to ALA-HFD ... ALA and CLA exert distinct mechanistic advantages on cholesterol homeostasis and RCT in obesity" - See conjugated linoleic acid at Amazon.com and alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• (r)Alpha Lipoic Acid Is a Safe, Effective Pharmacologic Therapy of Chronic Orthostatic Hypotension Associated with Low Sympathetic Tone - Int J Angiol. 2019 Sep;28(3):188-193 - "Chronic orthostatic hypotension (OH), affecting 10 to 30% of the elderly, is associated with falls, and increased morbidity and mortality. Current pharmacologic therapy can cause or worsen hypertension and fluid retention. (r)α lipoic acid (ALA), a powerful natural antioxidant, avoids those complications and may assist management of chronic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) ... Glucose levels improved in the 28% of patients who were diabetic. Also, resting hypertension improved. Control patients had no ∆ BP and no increase in S tone. (r)ALA improves S-, and BP, responses to head-up postural change, and thereby NOH/OI, in a majority of patients without causing harmful side effects"
• Protective Effects of Alpha-Lipoic Acid on Glutamate-Induced Cytotoxicity in C6 Glioma Cells - Biol Pharm Bull. 2019;42(1):94-102 - "Glutamate-mediated cytotoxicity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a naturally occurring thiol antioxidant, on glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in cultured C6 astroglial cells. Exposure to high-dose glutamate (10 mM) caused oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction through the elevation of reactive oxygen species, depletion of glutathione, and loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Pretreatment with ALA (200 µM), however, significantly inhibited the glutamate-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. ALA pretreatment dose-dependently suppressed glutamate-induced apoptotic events including altered nuclear morphology and activation of caspase-3 ... These results suggest that ALA can effectively suppress oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ER stress in astroglial cells"
• The effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on glucose control and lipid profiles among patients with metabolic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Metabolism. 2018 Jul 7 - "ALA supplementation among patients with metabolic diseases significantly decreased fasting glucose (SMD -0.54; 95% CI, -0.89,-0.19; P = 0.003), insulin (SMD -1.01; 95% CI, -1.70, -0.31; P = 0.006), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (SMD -0.76; 95% CI, -1.15,-0.36; P < 0.001) and hemoglobin A1c (SMD -1.22; 95% CI, -2.01,-0.44; P = 0.002), triglycerides (SMD -0.58; 95% CI, -1.00, -0.16; P = 0.006), total- (SMD -0.64; 95% CI, -1.01, -0.27; P = 0.001), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (SMD -0.44; 95% CI, -0.76, -0.11; P = 0.008). We found no detrimental effect of ALA supplementation on high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) levels (SMD 0.57; 95% CI, -0.14, 1.29; P = 0.11)"
• Supplementation with α-Lipoic Acid Alone or in Combination with Eicosapentaenoic Acid Modulates the Inflammatory Status of Healthy Overweight or Obese Women Consuming an Energy-Restricted Diet - J Nutr. 2016 Mar 9 - "Dietary supplementation with LA improves some systemic inflammatory and cardiovascular disease-related risk markers in healthy overweight or obese women independently of weight loss, whereas EPA modulates inflammation-related genes in adipose tissue" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com and fish oil supplements at Amazon.com.
• Effects of α-lipoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in overweight and obese women during weight loss - Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Feb;23(2):313-21 - "This is a short-term double-blind placebo-controlled study with parallel design that lasted 10 weeks. Of the randomized participants, 97 women received the allocated treatment [Control, EPA (1.3 g/d), α-lipoic acid (0.3 g/d), and EPA + α-lipoic acid (1.3 g/d + 0.3 g/d)], and 77 volunteers completed the study. All groups followed an energy-restricted diet of 30% less than total energy expenditure ... Body weight loss was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in those groups supplemented with α-lipoic acid. EPA supplementation significantly attenuated (P < 0.001) the decrease in leptin levels that occurs during weight loss" - [Nutra USA] - Note:  The difference in weight loss was 1.3 kg (2.9 pounds) over ten weeks.  See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com and alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.
• The alpha-lipoic acid decreases urinary podocalyxin excretion in type 2 diabetics by inhibiting oxidative stress in vivo - J Diabetes Complications. 2014 Sep 30 - "Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on oxidative stress (OS) ... ALA can provide some protection against glomerular podocyte injury in type 2 diabetics, which may be related partly to its effects in alleviating enhanced OS and strengthening antioxidant ability in vivo"
• Alpha-Lipoic Acid Protects Against Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity via the Regulation of MAPKs and Proinflammatory Cytokines - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2014 May 2 - "these results indicate that the protective effects of ALA against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity are mediated via the regulation of MAPKs and proinflammatory cytokines" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.
• Effect of (R)-α-Lipoic Acid Supplementation on Serum Lipids and Antioxidative Ability in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Ann Nutr Metab. 2012 Jun 1;60(4):293-297 - "A total of 62 patients (50-75 years old) with early and intermediate dry form of AMD were randomly assigned to two groups, i.e. LA administration (n = 32) and placebo (n = 30) ... The apparent increase in SOD activity caused by LA supplementation indicates that LA may have a possible preventive effect in the development of AMD through an antioxidant mechanism"
• α-Lipoic acid prevents mild portal endotoxaemia-induced hepatic inflammation and β cell dysfunction - Eur J Clin Invest. 2011 Nov 16 - "Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups: those with intraportal vehicle (saline) or low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (0.42 ng/kg/min) infusion, combined with oral administration of vehicle or LA, a potent antioxidant (60 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks ... The histopathological examination showed that inflammatory changes were clearly visible in liver and pancreatic islets of LPS-infused rats and rarely observed in those cotreated with LA. In addition, low-dose intraportal LPS infusion also significantly impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion but not affect the systemic insulin sensitivity and metabolic clearance rate of insulin. LA administration markedly reversed LPS-induced β cell dysfunction. Conclusions  α-Lipoic acid cotreatment could significantly prevent mild portal endotoxaemia-induced chronic hepatic inflammation and impaired pancreatic insulin secretion in absence of changing systemic insulin resistance"
• Effect of α-lipoic acid on sperm quality, reproductive tract measures in thinner exposed rats - Andrologia. 2011 Sep 15 - "The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alpha lipoic acid (ALA, an universal antioxidant) on thinner-induced testicular toxicity regarding spermatological features, body and reproductive tract measures in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five treatment groups, eight rats in each. Control group was treated with placebo. Group O was given only olive oil. The group L received only α-lipoic acid. Thinner + Lipoic Acid group received thinner + α-lipoic acid and group T received only thinner. Thinner alone administration caused significant decreases in body and some reproductive organ weights, sperm count, motility and sperm membrane integrity, and significant increases in seminal vesicle weight and abnormal sperm rates compared with the values in the control group. However, concomitant administration of thinner with α-lipoic acid provided significant improvements in sperm parameters compared with values in alone group T.  In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that α-lipoic acid has a protective effect against thinner-induced reproductive dysfunction in male rats" - See alpha lipoic acid products at Amazon.com.  I assume that the thinner is something like this:
  • ScienceDirect - Toxicology Letters : Melatonin protects the central nervous system of rats against toluene-containing thinner intoxication by reducing reactive gliosis - Toxicology Letters, Volume 137, Issue 3, 3 February 2003, Pages 169-174 - "Thinner containing 60–70% toluene is a neurotoxic mixture which is widely used as an aromatic industrial solventThinner containing 60–70% toluene is a neurotoxic mixture which is widely used as an aromatic industrial solvent"
• Dietary Intakes of Arachidonic Acid and {alpha}-Linolenic Acid Are Associated with Reduced Risk of Hip Fracture in Older Adults - J Nutr. 2011 Apr 20 - "arachidonic acid (AA) ... Participants in the highest quartile of ALA intake had a 54% lower risk of hip fracture than those in the lowest quartile (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.26-0.83). Men in the highest quartile of AA intake had an 80% lower risk of hip fracture than those in the lowest quartile (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.04-0.96). No significant associations were observed among intakes of EPA, DHA, EPA+DHA, or fish. These findings suggest dietary ALA may reduce hip fracture risk in women and men and dietary AA may reduce hip fracture risk in men"
• α-Lipoic acid can improve endothelial dysfunction in subjects with impaired fasting glucose - Metabolism. 2011 Jan 19 - "Our data showed that IFG subjects have impaired endothelial function and that antioxidant α-lipoic acid can improve endothelial function through a decrease of oxygen-derived free radicals"
• Efficacy and safety of high-dose α-lipoic acid in the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy - Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2010 Sep;90(35):2473-2476 - "total symptom score (TSS) ... 73.27% patients with symptomatic polyneuropathy improved after treatment with α-lipoic acid for 12 weeks versus 18.27% with placebo. TSS declined by 2.6 +/- 2.3 with α-lipoic acid. And it was more than 0.7 +/- 1.4 versus placebo (P < 0.05). TSS decreased quickly after treatment with α-lipoic acid for 2 weeks (P < 0.05). And it was better than placebo. Individual symptom scores of pain, extremity numbness, burning sensation or resting abnormal sensations were significantly diminished as compared to those before treatment and placebo group (all P < 0.05). Nerve conduction velocity had no change. HbA1c further decreased at the end of trial after α-lipoic acid treatment (P < 0.05). The incidence rates of adverse effects were 25.4% vs 11.8% in the treatment and control groups. The major manifestation was burning sensation from throat to stomach (12.7%)"
• α-Lipoic acid has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties: an experimental study in rats with carrageenan-induced acute and cotton pellet-induced chronic inflammations - Br J Nutr. 2010 Nov 15:1-12 - "α-Lipoic acid (ALA) has been termed the 'ideal' antioxidant, a readily absorbed and bioavailable compound capable of scavenging a number of free radicals, and it has been used for treating diseases in which oxidative stress plays a major role ... We showed that ALA exhibited anti-inflammatory effects on both acute and chronic inflammations, and a strongly anti-oxidative potency on linoleic acid oxidation. Moreover, the administration of CAR induced oedema in the paws. ALA significantly inhibited the ability of CAR to induce: (1) the degree of acute inflammation, (2) the rise in MPx activity, (3) the increases of GST and iNOS activities and the amount of LPO and (4) the decreases of GPx, GR and SOD activities and the amount of GSH. In conclusion, these results suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of ALA, which has a strong anti-oxidative potency, could be related to its positive effects on the antioxidant system in a variety of tissues in rats"
• alpha-Lipoic acid protects diabetic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice from nephropathy - J Diabetes Complications. 2010 Aug 26 - "LA supplementation markedly protected the beta cells, reduced cholesterol levels, and attenuated albuminuria and glomerular mesangial expansion in the diabetic mice. Renoprotection by LA was equally effective regardless of whether the dietary supplementation was started 4 weeks before, simultaneously with, or 4 weeks after the induction of diabetes by STZ. LA supplementation significantly improved DN and oxidative stress in the diabetic mice. Severity of albuminuria was positively correlated with level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) in the kidney (r(2)=0.62, P<.05). Diabetes significantly changed the kidney expression of Rage, Sod2, Tgfb1 and Ctgf, Pdp2, nephrin, and Lias. LA supplementation corrected these changes except that it further suppressed the expression of the Lias gene coding for lipoic acid synthase"
• Alpha-lipoic acid improves vascular endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes: a placebo-controlled randomized trial - Eur J Clin Invest. 2009 Dec 27 - "600 mg alpha-lipoic acid or placebo. Results FBF responses were comparable at baseline. After treatment, FBF reactivity to ACh and GTN was unchanged in subjects receiving placebo. By contrast, ALA treatment increased endothelium-dependent vasodilatation to ACh (P < 0.05) but not to GTN compared with baseline. Conclusions Intravenous ALA treatment improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in patients with type 2 diabetes, in the absence of effects on forearm vasomotor function. If this salutary action translates into vascular risk reduction remains to be established"
• Dietary lipoic acid supplementation can mimic or block the effect of dietary restriction on life span -Mech Ageing Dev. 2008 Apr 22;129(6):341-348 - "Ad libitum feeding a diet supplemented with lipoic acid can therefore act as mimetic of DR to extend survival"
• Switching from pathogenetic treatment with alpha-lipoic acid to gabapentin and other analgesics in painful diabetic neuropathy: a real-world study in outpatients - J Diabetes Complications. 2008 Apr 8 - "The daily costs for alpha-lipoic acid were considerably lower than those for gabapentin or several frequently used drug combinations. The frequency of outpatient visits was 3.8 times per 3 months during the treatment period with alpha-lipoic acid, while it increased to 7.9 per 3 months after switching to gabapentin or the other pain medications. In conclusion, switching from long-term treatment with alpha-lipoic acid to central analgesic drugs such as gabapentin in painful diabetic neuropathy was associated with considerably higher rates of side effects, frequencies of outpatient visits, and daily costs of treatment. The pathogenic treatment option represents for the practicing diabetologist an effective, safe, and cost-effective treatment option for the majority of patients with diabetic polyneuropathy" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Lipoic acid supplementation and endothelial function - Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Mar 17 - "Endothelial dysfunction is caused by all the recognized cardiovascular risk factors and has been implicated in the complex processes leading to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Short-term treatment with lipoic acid is shown in the current issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology to improve endothelial function of aortic rings of old rats. The age-related decrease in phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase and Akt was improved by lipoic acid supplementation. The improved phosphorylation status may have been due to reduced activity of the phosphatase PPA2, associated with decreased levels of endothelial ceramide induced by lipoic acid. Neutral sphingomyelinase activity was also reduced by lipoic acid, which was due, at least in part, to increased glutathione levels in endothelial cells"
• Lipoic acid significantly restores, in rats, the age-related decline in vasomotion - Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Feb 25 - "In old animals, endothelium-dependent relaxation in aortic rings was decreased, GSH levels and its redox state in aortic endothelia were over 30% lower and nSMase activity and endothelial ceramide levels were three-fold increased, relative to young (2-4 mo) rats. LA treatment of old animals improved relaxation in aortic rings, reversed the changes in endothelial GSH, in nSMase activities and in ceramide levels. Similar effects on GSH levels and nSMase activity in old rats were also induced by treatment with GSH monoethylester. Activation (by phosphorylation) of eNOS was decreased by about 50% in old rats and this age-related decrease was partially reversed by LA treatment" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Effect of Co-enzyme Q10 and Alpha-Lipoic Acid on Response of Rabbit Urinary Bladder to Repetitive Stimulation and In Vitro Ischemia - Urology. 2008 Feb 15 - "CoQ10 showed no protective effect. alpha-LA resulted in increased contractile responses of the control bladder and showed a moderate protective effect for all forms of stimulation. The combination, however, showed a significantly greater increase in the contraction of the control bladder and a greater protective effect than alpha-LA alone"
• R-alpha-Lipoic acid and acetyl-L: -carnitine complementarily promote mitochondrial biogenesis in murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes - Diabetologia. 2008 Jan;51(1):165-74 - "Treatments with the combination of LA and ALC at concentrations of 0.1, 1 and 10 mumol/l for 24 h significantly increased mitochondrial mass, expression of mitochondrial DNA, mitochondrial complexes, oxygen consumption and fatty acid oxidation in 3T3L1 adipocytes. These changes were accompanied by an increase in expression of Pparg, Ppara and Cpt1a mRNA, as well as increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma coactivator 1 alpha (Ppargc1a), mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) and nuclear respiratory factors 1 and 2 (Nrf1 and Nrf2). However, the treatments with LA or ALC alone at the same concentrations showed little effect on mitochondrial function and biogenesis" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com and acetyl l-carnitine at Amazon.com.
• The antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid improves endothelial dysfunction induced by acute hyperglycaemia during OGTT in impaired glucose tolerance - Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2007 Dec 7
• Dietary lipoic acid-dependent changes in the activity and mRNA levels of hepatic lipogenic enzymes in rats - Br J Nutr. 2007 Dec 7;:1-9 - "Lipoic acid profoundly decreased serum and liver concentrations of TAG, and also lowered serum concentrations of phospholipid and NEFA, and the concentration of cholesterol in the liver. A hypoglycaemic effect of this compound was also observed. Lipoic acid dose-dependently decreased the activity and mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase, ATP-citrate lyase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and pyruvate kinase in the liver despite that reductions were considerably attenuated in the NADPH-producing enzymes. This compound also dose-dependently lowered the mRNA levels of spot 14, adiponutrin, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and Delta5- and Delta6-desaturases. In addition, lipoic acid dose-dependently lowered serum concentrations of insulin and leptin, but increased those of adiponectin. Lipoic acid appeared to reduce hepatic lipogenesis and hence decreases serum and liver lipid levels. Alterations in serum concentrations of insulin and (or) adiponectin may trigger this consequence" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• The effect of alpha-lipoic acid on symptoms and skin blood flow in diabetic neuropathy - Diabet Med. 2007 May 8 - "study suggests that alpha-lipoic acid, a potent antioxidant, improves symptoms of diabetic neuropathy"
• Oral Treatment With {alpha}-Lipoic Acid Improves Symptomatic Diabetic Polyneuropathy: The SYDNEY 2 trial - Diabetes Care. 2006 Nov;29(11):2365-2370 - "Oral treatment with ALA for 5 weeks improved neuropathic symptoms and deficits in patients with DSP. An oral dose of 600 mg once daily appears to provide the optimum risk-to-benefit ratio"
• Treatment for diabetic mononeuropathy with alpha-lipoic acid - Int J Clin Pract. 2005 Jun;59(6):645-50 - "alpha-lipoic acid appears to be an effective drug in the treatment for not only peripheral and autonomic diabetic neuropathy, but also diabetic mononeuropathy of the cranial nerves leading to full recovery of the patients" - See alpha lipoic acid at Amazon.com.
• Memory loss in old rats is associated with brain mitochondrial decay and RNA/DNA oxidation: Partial reversal by feeding acetyl-L-carnitine and/or R-alpha -lipoic acid - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002 Feb 19;99(4):2356-2361 - "Electron microscopic studies in the hippocampus showed that ALCAR and/or LA reversed age-associated mitochondrial structural decay"