Alpha Lipoic Acid: Safety, Benefits, and How to Use

Alpha-lipoic acid is a compound produced by the body that was wide-ranging benefits as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substance.

These properties counter many of the problems associated with aging, including heart disease, poor blood sugar control, and being overweight.

Taking ALA as a supplement gives your body access to far higher doses than it would normally produce.

Its safety and proven effectiveness in bolstering overall health make it an excellent candidate for your wellness toolkit.

The alpha-lipoic acid I take

Nutricost Alpha Lipoic Acid (Amazon)

How to take ALA

ALA is absorbed in the digestive tract, but less will be absorbed if consumed with food. Take ALA 30-60 minutes before a meal, or at least two hours after, to solve this issue. (R)

Typical doses are in the range of 200-600mg, (R) but most studies settle on 600mg a day to see the benefits of ALA. (R1, R2, R3, R4)

Doses as high as 1800mg a day may benefit those with certain health issues, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome. (R)

Though ALA is present in various amounts in almost all foods, it’s in a form the body can’t readily use, and in very low amounts. As a result, all therapeutic ALA is synthetic and taken in relatively much higher doses. (R)

Safety

Various studies have concluded that alpha-lipoic acid has a “highly favorable safety profile.” (R)

Side effects are rare (R) – even in people with kidney or liver failure. (R)

ALA is safe for pregnant women to take. (R)

Function

Lipoic acid is produced by the body and is necessary for producing energy via food.

The more active form, RLA, may function like a B vitamin; at relatively higher doses, it acts like powerful plant substances like resveratrol, improving detoxification and fighting oxidation in cells. (R)

ALA as an antioxidant

ALA has many protective antioxidant qualities: it eliminates free radicals, clears toxic metals, and boosts levels of vitamin C and other antioxidants. (R)

ALA increases your body’s levels of its most powerful antioxidant, glutathione, (R1, R2) via genetic mechanisms. (R)

In fact, ALA has been shown to recycle antioxidants in the body, including glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E. (R)

ALA dilates blood vessels in those with vascular issues when oxidative stress is high and antioxidant levels are low. (R)

ALA boosted antioxidant levels in response to the oxidative damage caused by weightlifting. (R)

In animals fed high amounts of glucose, lipoic acid stopped the production of free radicals in the heart. (R)

A combination of lipoic acid and vitamin E has been found to have especially potent antioxidant action. (R)

ALA and mitochondrial function

ALA has a key role in facilitating the production of energy in mitochondria. (R1, R2, R3), and may protect against mitochondrial dysfunction. (R)

In animals with metabolic syndrome, ALA prevented their mitochondria from producing superoxide, (R) a free radical that can cause damage to the body and worsen chronic disease. (R)

ALA does not appear to help those with mitochondrial disease, however. (R)

ALA as a detoxifier

ALA is useful in buffering the damage from heavy metals and clearing them from the body, (R1, R2, R3) and also aids with other poisons, such as those from mushrooms and carcinogens. (R)

In one animal study, ALA mitigated most of the damage induced by high levels of cadmium in the body, improving survival through antioxidant activity. (R)

ALA activates Phase 2 detoxification in the liver. (R1, R2)

ALA limits the inflammation and damage caused by endotoxins (components of bacteria). (R)

ALA and diabetes

ALA is useful for both preventing and treating diabetes.

Lipoic acid mimics insulin. (R)

Lipoic acid increases dilation of blood vessels in the diabetic. (R)

As an antioxidant it is effective in treating some of diabetes’ complications affecting blood vessels, including retinopathy and neuropathy. (R)

In fact, this property of ALA is the strongest benefit we know of. (R1, R2)

In addition to its benefits as an antioxidant, ALA also improves the rate at which the body uses glucose, and fasting glucose levels. (R1, R2, R3, R4)

A two-year study of diabetes with peripheral neuropathy found that ALA improves nerve signaling in the legs over the long-term. (R)

Just three to five weeks of 600mg of ALA given to diabetic patients noticeably reduced neuropathic pain in studies. (R1, R2, R3)

It also reduces other neuropathic symptoms, including numbness, burning and paresthesia, (R) and boosts circulation in the smallest blood vessels. (R)

ALA and heart disease

ALA increases the diameter of brachial arteries in heart disease and lowers systolic blood pressure in those with hypertension, probably through improving mitochondrial function. (R)

Four months of 800mg/day of ALA improved nervous system issues impacting the heart in the diabetic. (R)

ALA prevents oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind); this oxidation makes LDL more harmful to you. (R)

In many animal studies of high blood pressure induced by salt or high glucose intake, lipoic acid normalized blood pressure. (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6)

Lipoic acid also reduced cholesterol in animals fed a junk diet to induce heart problems. (R)

ALA and weight loss

A five-month study of hundreds of obese people found that those taking 1800mg of ALA daily lost significantly more weight when compared to placebo. (R)

ALA reduces weight in obese animals by stopping fat from building up in the body. (R)

A review of 10 studies looking at ALA and weight loss concluded that those taking ALA had a lower BMI (body mass index) and lost about 3 pounds more than those taking placebo. (R)

ALA and women’s health

A review concluded that ALA has broad benefit for women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), reducing insulin resistance and oxidative stress. (R)

ALA may also benefit those with the potential for miscarriage, mitigate the harm that a mother’s diabetes may cause the fetus, and stop the membranes around the fetus from prematurely breaking due to the mother’s inflammation. (R)

ALA fights autoimmunity

ALA has a powerful benefit to those with multiple sclerosis (MS) – it prevents the migration of immune cells called T cells into the spinal cord. (R1, R2, R3)

In animals, ALA slowed the progression of MS by preventing migration of T cells and demyelination of nerves (in which the casing around nerves is damaged [R]), resulting in less inflammation in the central nervous system. (R)

ALA has wide-ranging benefits in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, reducing levels of inflammatory proteins, lowering oxidative stress, and preventing bone loss in sufferers. (R)

ALA is anti-inflammatory

Lipoic acid routs NF-kB, a protein complex that triggers many genes involved in inflammation. (R1, R2, R3)

A meta-analysis of studies of people with metabolic diseases found that ALA decreased levels of the protein TNF-alpha (which triggers NF-kB), as well as CRP and IL-6, both major markers of inflammation. (R)

Four weeks of supplementation with 300mg of ALA lowered IL-6 levels by 15%. IL-6 regulates release of TNF-alpha and other inflammatory proteins (including IL-1), and is involved in heart disease. (R)

Lipoic acid decreases production of IFN-gamma and IL-4, and suppressed both Th1 and Th2 cytokines in a study of multiple sclerosis. (R)

ALA reduced IL-4 and IL-5 and eosiniphils and IgE (inflammatory immune cells involved in inflammation) in a study of asthma. (R)

ALA lowers expression of MMP-9. (R1, R2)

ALA protects the brain

Lipoic acid is able to cross the blood brain barrier and benefit the brain. (R)

There is support for lipoic acid in treating disorders involving neurodegeneration and certain types of brain injury. (R1, R2)

ALA protects the brain from problems that arise in diabetics. (R)

Miscellaneous

ALA improves heart rate variability. (R)

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