Health and Well-being
Reap Seven Health Benefits of Alpha-Lipoic Acid
A review based on experience and scientific papers highlighting benefits for weight loss, diabetes, longevity, memory, and more
What Is Alpha-Lipoic Acid?
I don’t randomly write about supplements. Compelling reasons and shreds of evidence encourage me to experiment. I focus on promising molecules backed up by scientific studies.
Alpha-lipoic acid is one of the supplements in my health and well-being journey for various proven benefits documented in multiple animal and human studies. It is not just another supplement wasting our money.
This organic compound is part of our cells, especially inside the mitochondria, serving as a remarkable antioxidant. It is both fat and water-soluble. The body produces it in small amounts. We also get it from consuming various animal products and plant-based sources.
However, since getting them from food is relatively low, healthcare professionals recommend supplementing it for specific conditions like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and inflammatory situations.
Alpha-lipoic acid does not require a prescription in my country. It is available in health shops and pharmacies at an affordable price.
In this post, I introduce seven well-documented benefits of alpha-lipoic acid in scientific papers. As there are many papers, I only share a few resources to give my readers an idea and inspire them to do their follow-up research leveraging the sources I provide in around ten-minute reading time.
There were over 5,600 papers about alpha-lipoic acid in medical science repositories in English during my reviews.
Here is an indication of research on alpha-lipoic acid starting from 1951. You can see the spike in 2020 for the known reasons of intense immunity research.
Please note that this article is not health advice. I share my findings from scientific papers for information purposes only. If you have underlying health conditions mentioned in this article, please contact your healthcare consultants.
1 — Reducing Blood Sugar for Diabetic Patients
Blood sugar control is essential to maintaining a healthy metabolism and weight. When our blood sugar level gets high, the body produces insulin to cope with it.
As mentioned in previous articles, too much and too frequent release of insulin cause a condition called insulin resistance leading to several metabolic diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and some cancers.
The findings of this animal study published in the Diabetes Journal of the American Diabetes Association indicate:
“Parenteral administration of the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid significantly enhances the capacity of the insulin-stimulated glucose transport system and both oxidative and nonoxidative pathways of glucose metabolism in insulin-resistant rat skeletal muscle.”
Another study published in the Endocrinology and Metabolism journal concluded:
“The racemic mixture of the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid enhances insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in insulin-resistant humans and animals.”
WebMD documented strong evidence that “alpha-lipoic acid supplements help with type II diabetes. Several studies have found that they can improve insulin resistance.”
2 — Reducing Hunger for Weight Loss
Hunger is a significant factor causing several metabolic diseases, such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. I discussed hormonal effects on fat loss in this article titled: Losing Fat by Understanding the Intricacies of Six Major Hormones.
However, some enzymes also cause hunger. For example, one of the enzymes affecting hunger is AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). This enzyme, located in the hypothalamus, senses the calories and is activated especially during exercise in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissues.
As pointed out in this paper on Nature:
“AMPK acts to maintain cellular energy stores, switching on catabolic pathways that produce ATP, primarily by enhancing oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis, while switching off anabolic pathways that consume ATP.
As pointed out in this paper on Cell Physiology:
“AMPK serves as an energy sensor and is at the center of control for a large number of metabolic reactions, thereby playing a crucial role in Type II diabetes and other human diseases. AMPK is present in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Environmental stress regulates the intracellular localization of AMPK.”
This study on Metabolism concluded:
“Alpha-lipoic acid improves skeletal muscle energy metabolism in the aged mouse, possibly through enhancing AMPK-PGC-1alpha-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis and function. It increases lean mass loss, possibly by suppressing protein synthesis in the skeletal muscle by down-regulating the mTOR signaling pathway. Thus, alpha-lipoic acid may be a promising supplement for the treatment of obesity and insulin resistance in older patients.”
3 — Reducing Skin Aging
As a potent antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid also increases the amount of glutathione, which is the master antioxidant of our bodies. I witnessed the use of alpha-lipoic acid creams in anti-aging communities.
I also heard that dermatologists use it to protect skin from UV radiation posed by exposure to sunlight.
This paper reporting an animal study concluded:
“Alpha-lipoic acid topically applied to skin penetrated readily and was reduced to dihydrolipoic acid. Thus, αlpha-lipoic acid could potentiate antioxidant skin protection. In addition, alpha-lipoic acid is a potent thiol antioxidant that might be useful for skin protection.”
In terms of using alpha-lipoic acid in creams, this paper proposed that intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen abstraction of the diethyl radical produce thiols, including dihydrolipoic acid, as final products.
The paper informed:
“The formation of thiols, including dihydrolipoic acid from lipoic acid, can be explained by considering the rupture of the S-S bond, which results in the formation of the diethyl radicals of alpha-lipoic acid.”
4 —Decreasing Inflammation Markers
Even though the body needs inflammation to heal from wounds, it is well documented that chronic inflammation is the cause of many ailments.
When I experimented with alpha-lipoic acid several years ago, my family doctor recognized a significant reduction in my inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein. When I test a specific supplement, I don’t use others to gain informed perspectives.
This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials investigating the effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on C-reactive protein levels concluded:
“Alpha-lipoic acid supplementation could significantly decrease C-reactive protein level in patients with elevated levels of this inflammatory marker.”
This paper in Circulation concluded:
“Administration of irbesartan and alpha-lipoic acid to patients with the metabolic syndrome improves endothelial function and reduces proinflammatory markers, factors that are implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.”
5 — Reducing Memory Loss for Alzheimer’s Disease
Oxidative stress adversely affects our memories.
This paper mentions:
“Memory impairment during aging is believed to be a consequence of a decline in neuronal function and increased neurodegeneration. Accumulation of oxidative damage and reduction of antioxidant defense system plays a key role in organismal aging and functional senescence.”
A paper titled “Lipoic acid as an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease” concludes:
“Data from cell culture and animal models suggest that alpha-lipoic acid could be combined with nutraceuticals such as curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, and docosahexaenoic acid to synergistically decrease oxidative stress, inflammation, Abeta levels, and Abeta plaque load and thus provide a combined benefit in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”
A paper in the Journal of Neurodegenerative Diseases titled The Effect of Lipoic Acid Therapy on Cognitive Functioning in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease suggests:
“Alpha-lipoic acid therapy could be effective in slowing cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Insulin Resistance.”
6 — Reducing Cardiovascular Risks
Like the brain, our heart is also adversely affected by oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Several studies confirmed the antioxidant properties of alpha-lipoic acid, which neutralizes free radicals reducing oxidative stress.
This paper informs:
“Oxidative stress increases during the aging process, resulting in either increased reactive oxygen species production or decreased antioxidant defense. Antioxidants may help lower the incidence of some pathologies of cardiovascular diseases and have anti-aging properties. Alpha-lipoic acid is a natural antioxidant that is believed to have a beneficial effect on oxidative stress parameters about cardiovascular system diseases.”
Endothelial dysfunction is a non-obstructive coronary artery disease common in diabetic patients.
This paper, reporting a double-blind and randomized trial to test the efficacy of an antioxidant diet, concluded:
“An antioxidant diet significantly improved endothelial dysfunction when supplemented with alpha-lipoic acid, unlike a diet with placebo or controls. A significant reduction in bolus insulin was also observed. We speculate that alpha-lipoic acid might have an antioxidant effect in pediatric diabetes patients by reducing insulin.”
7 — Increasing Nerve Function
This study points out:
“Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common peripheral mononeuropathy. Its symptoms and functional limitations significantly penalize many people's daily activities and quality of life.”
The study concluded:
“The fixed association of alpha-lipoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid proved to be a useful tool and may be proposed for controlling symptoms and improving the evolution of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, especially in the earlier stages of the disease.”
This study informed:
“Alpha-lipoic acid is a valuable therapeutic option for diabetic neuropathy. When compared with currently licensed analgesic drugs, it is better tolerated, has a more rapid onset of action, and improves paraesthesia, numbness, sensory deficits, and muscle strength.
According to the study:
“In clinical practice, alpha-lipoic acid may be chosen in patients with early neuropathic deficits and symptoms, in whom clinical improvement is more likely. Alpha-lipoic acid should also be considered when comorbidities render other analgesics less appropriate or in the presence of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.”
Conclusions and Takeaways
Alpha-lipoic acid is an organic compound associated with glucose and amino acid metabolism. It is part of our mitochondria.
As mentioned in previous articles, mitochondria are the energy powerhouses of our cells. Alpha-lipoic acid is a molecule helping convert glucose into energy.
Alpha-lipoic acid is not only an antioxidant itself, but it also boosts the master antioxidant glutathione. In addition, alpha-lipoic acid is synergetic with Vitamin E.
As pointed out in this paper, “alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin E can counteract oxidative processes and could have an important role in clinical medicine.”
The best nutritional source of alpha-lipoic acid is organ meats and red meats. However, it also exists in plant foods such as tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, carrots, potatoes, and beets.
Even though my diet includes alpha-lipoic acid to some extent, as a preventative health measure due to its proven benefits, I prefer to supplement it with 600 mg a few times a week.
As advised by my dietician, I use the liquid R-lipoic acid form, which is better absorbed and more stable in the plasma.
However, it is more expensive than typical formulas. I don’t mind paying extra for a more functional product—bioavailability and absorption rates in supplements matter.
Some people might have digestive reactions. However, I did not notice any digestive discomfort in supplementing it for many years.
It is wise to discuss this with healthcare professionals before starting any supplement, as they can have adverse effects.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.
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