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What is α- Lipoic acid?

Aug 30，2021

Alpha-Lipoic acid is an organic sulfur compound derived from caprylic acid, which is usually produced in animals and is essential for aerobic metabolism.

Alpha Lipoic acid is a nutrient that helps convert glucose into energy in the body. Alpha-Lipoic acid is also an antioxidant, which can neutralize harmful chemicals from free radicals. It can act in water and fat respectively, and can support antioxidant vitamin E (only in fat) and vitamin C (only in water), so that they can regenerate antioxidant capacity after neutralizing free radicals.

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1. Source of alpha-Lipoic acid

A healthy body will naturally produce enough alpha-lipoic acid, which needs to be supplemented when it is insufficient. Lipoic acid is found in many foods that are combined with lysine in protein, and is more abundant in kidney, heart, liver, spinach, broccoli and yeast extracts. However, the content of lipoic acid in the diet is extremely low. When determining the chemical structure of lipoic acid, only 30 mg of lipoic acid was purified from about 10 tons of animal liver. The naturally occurring lipoic acid is always covalently bound and is not easily obtained from the diet. Therefore, lipoic acid as a supplement is chemically synthesized.

2. Which form of alpha-Lipoic acid is best?

The naturally occurring form of alpha-lipoic acid is the R-isomer. Supplements contain synthetic forms of the R-isomer, or more commonly a mixture of R- and S-isomer forms. The R-isomer is more active of these two isomers, however, only the efficacy and side effects of the mixed form have been studied in clinical trials, and are generally cheaper than products that are only the R-isomer.

3. The dosage of alpha-Lipoic acid supplement

Treatment of diabetes and related neuropathy and cardiac autonomic neuropathy. The typical dose is 200 to 400 mg each time (600 to 1200 mg per day). For weight loss, it has been proven that 100 mg of α-lipoic acid per meal combined with a low-calorie diet with three meals a day is beneficial. When used as general antioxidants, lower doses are usually recommended. When using only the R-isomer form, the dosage can be halved.

4. The safety and side effects of α-lipoic acid supplements:

Studies have reported side effects such as skin rash and nausea. Because alpha-lipoic acid can help control the blood sugar of diabetic patients, anti-diabetic drugs may need to be adjusted when using alpha-lipoic acid.

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