Lipoic Acid - An Intro

Written by Adam Bronfin

Within the category of antioxidants, we are going to focus on alpha-lipoic acid. This website gives a a great background of lipoic acid. Other antioxidants, we've mentioned or that you may have heard of, work only in water (such as vitamin C) or fatty tissues (such as vitamin E), but alpha-lipoic acid is both fat- and water-soluble which makes it unique and multi-functional. In other words, that means it can work throughout the body. As we've mentioned before, antioxidants in the body are used up as they attack free radicals, but evidence suggests alpha-lipoic acid may help regenerate these other antioxidants and make them active again. From a more chemical standpoint, in the cells of the body, alpha-lipoic acid is changed into dihydrolipoic acid. This is the reduced form of alpha-lipoic acid. 

Lipoic acid is very common in many foods we eat, often naturally occurring. When it does naturally occur, it is in small amounts and is covalently bonded. 

Here a compiled list of the top uses for alpha-lipoic acid:

• Prevent organ dysfunction

• Reduce endothelial dysfunction and improve albuminuria

• Treat or prevent cardiovascular disease

• Accelerate chronic wound healing

• Reduce levels of ADMA in diabetic end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis

• Management of burning mouth syndrome

• Reduce iron overload

• Treat metabolic syndrome

• Improve or prevent age-related cognitive dysfunction

• Prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Prevent erectile dysfunction (animal models but anecdotally applies to humans as well)

• Prevent migraines

• Treat multiple sclerosis

• Treat chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress

• Reduce inflammation

• Treat peripheral artery disease

List is from http://edenvalleyfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Lipoic-acid-Wikipedia.pdf