Lipoic Acid
COR-Restor combines Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E into our Nitric Oxide Booster because when lipoic acid is combined with vitamin C and vitamin E, the body’s ability to fight free radicals is greatly increased. Lipoic acid is a potent and effective antioxidant that is easily absorbed into many organs throughout the body, including the brain, liver, and nerves. In fact, lipoic acid helps to regenerate vitamins C and E.
Furthermore, lipoic acid helps amplify the positive effects of other important antioxidants in the body such as glutathione and coenzyme Q10—two essential compounds that prevent aging and disease. It also works with B-vitamins to boost energy production in the body by converting food into stored energy for future use. Lipoic acid does this by helping to protect mitochondria, the energy-producing factories of cells, from being damaged by oxidative stress, thus ensuring that energy production in the body remains efficient.
Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes
There is overwhelming evidence suggesting that lipoic acid may be critical for maintaining optimal blood sugar levels by helping the body use glucose and supporting insulin sensitivity and key aspects of cardiovascular health, such as endothelial function.
According to a recently-released review of experimental studies, lipoic acid can help relieve several components of metabolic syndrome—a constellation of risk factors that often precedes full-blown types 2 diabetes. This recently-released review revealed that lipoic acid reduces blood pressure and insulin resistance, improves the lipid profile, and reduces weight. The research Scientists are encouraged by lipoic acid’s potential as a therapeutic agent for individuals with metabolic syndrome.6
In yet another recent study of 36 patients with coronary artery disease, the research found that a combination of lipoic acid with acetyl-L-carnitine, also a part of the C.O.R.-Restor formulation, reduced blood pressure and improved endothelial function of the brachial artery.7 This nutrient pair may therefore be an effective strategy for supporting healthy blood pressure levels, particularly in the context of metabolic syndrome.
Just last year, investigators revealed dramatic effects of administering lipoic acid in improving insulin sensitivity in overweight adults suffering from type 2 diabetes. Lipoic acid produced significant improvements in a very short time frame—only four weeks of supplementation.8 This finding could have important implications, as insulin resistance lies at the heart of type 2 diabetes.
Even after complications of diabetes have manifested, lipoic acid offers help. Clinical research, as well as thousands of anecdotal testimonies, has shown lipoic acid to be effective in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that occurs as a result of the toxic effects of high glucose levels on the nervous system in diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy is characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain best described as “burning” in the extremities.9 This neuropathy is most often experienced in the lower leg and feet of diabetics, and it is life altering.
A large, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, double-blind study involving 328 patients with type 2 diabetes revealed that lipoic acid significantly improved symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, including sensations of burning, tingling, itching, and pain.9 Although this early study was carried out using intravenous infusions of lipoic acid, later research has shown oral lipoic acid supplements to also be effective. Just five weeks of oral supplementation with lipoic acid significantly improved the stabbing pain, burning pain, and numbness of the feet in patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy.
Promoting Better Eye Health
Lipoic acid offers promise in supporting optimal visual health.
As we age and grow older, we become more vulnerable to developing cataracts, opacities of the lens that cloud sight. A key problem involved in cataract formation is oxidative stress in the lens of the eye. Lipoic acid was found to offer notable protection against cataract formation in an experimental animal model. Scientists believe that lipoic acid may confer this benefit by increasing levels of essential endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase.11
Another common cause of vision loss is glaucoma. A study in patients with open-angle glaucoma found that visual function and other measures of glaucoma were improved in a group that received either 75 mg of lipoic acid daily for two months or 150 mg of lipoic acid daily for one month, compared with a control group that received no lipoic acid.12
A recent study revealed that the combination of lipoic acid and vitamin E helped prevent retinal cell death in animals with retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that also affects humans. As there is currently no effective medical treatment for this vision-robbing disease, the discovery of a nutritional approach to potentially treat retinitis pigmentosa is amazing news indeed.13
Neuroprotection
Given that numerous clinical studies have shown lipoic acid’s strong ability to neutralize the damaging effects of oxidative stress, lipoic acid is the subject of intense study in preventing free radical damage to the neurological system.14
Lipoic acid is able to pass readily into the brain and reach all parts of a nerve cell. Experimental studies have shown that lipoic acid reduced brain damage after a stroke, and that those who received lipoic acid had a survival rate three times greater than those that did not.15 Some of the protective effects conferred by lipoic acid in promoting healthy nerve function may be related to its ability to regenerate the antioxidant glutathione, which is often significantly depleted by harmful oxidative stress associated with cerebrovascular events such as stroke.
Yet another benefit of Lipoic Acid has emerged in new evidence showing that lipoic acid may help guard against one of the most dreaded conditions associated with aging—Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have identified a series of mechanisms through which lipoic acid may work in helping prevent or manage Alzheimer’s disease.16 Based on this emerging research, scientists believe that lipoic acid may increase the production of acetylcholine, an essential nervous system messenger that is deficient in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease victims.
In addition to this wonderful news, preliminary works suggests that lipoic acid might be useful in those affected by multiple sclerosis. Investigators found that lipoic acid supplementation improved a variety of inflammatory measures that are associated with MS.17 Further evidence also showed that lipoic acid supplementation produced improvements in animals suffering from an experimentally induced form of multiple sclerosis.18
Preserving Bone Density
Osteoporosis is a disease which impacts the lives of millions of people. This disease cost millions of dollars, each year, in medical cost due to bone fractures of the elderly. Women over the age of 50 are especially vulnerable to this disease. This is yet another area in which lipoic acid holds promise is in averting the bone loss that accompanies osteoporosis and other degenerative bone conditions. This multifaceted agent helps preserve bone health by quelling the oxidative stress that threatens to degrade healthy bone density.
When applied to bone marrow cells and osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) in the laboratory, lipoic acid suppressed the formation of bone-degrading osteoclast cells in a dose-dependent fashion.19,20 It also reduced the process of inflammation-induced bone loss in both laboratory and living systems.19 Scientists believe that lipoic acid’s ability in preventing the loss of bone is linked to its inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2 and the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha.20,21
These promising preliminary findings suggest a therapeutic role for lipoic acid in preventing and managing osteoporosis and other conditions that threaten bone density.
Metal Chelation
Lipoic acid may also protect the body against toxic metal contaminants found in the environment and food supply. This multifunctional agent works by chelating these dangerous agents, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury and rendering them inactive so that they can be removed by the body. In animal studies, lipoic acid has been shown to provide protection against arsenic poisoning and to safeguard the liver against the effects of cadmium exposure.Another study also showed that lipoic acid helped protect the delicate nervous system against the harmful effects of mercury poisoning.23
Migraine Prevention
Migraine headaches, impact the daily lives of millions of people. These headaches can range in severity, from a constant dull pain to pain so great that those suffering from migraines are completely incapacitated. Preliminary evidence suggests that lipoic acid can offer welcomed relief for migraine sufferers. When a group of these individuals received a supplement of 600 mg of lipoic acid each day for three months, the frequency and intensity of their migraines declined modestly, and they also reported suffering fewer headache days.24
Maintaining Healthy Skin
The skin health industry is a BILLION dollar a year industry. Everything from topical creams, laser treatments, to salt baths, are suggested. Our skin, the body’s largest organ, is like all other organs of the body, in that it is best nourished from the inside out. The best way to health, beautiful skin is through providing your body with the nutrients that promote skin health. Among the myriad benefits of lipoic acid, which we’ve discussed, scientists have found that it can also be used to improve the health of the skin. A study of 33 women with an average age of 54 years found that lipoic acid reduced the roughness of the skin and decreased the appearance of photoaging.25
BENEFITS OF LIPOIC ACID
Based on evidence from animal and human studies, lipoic acid offers the following essential health benefits:
- Reduces oxidative stress in the body via powerful antioxidant activity1,3-5
- Improves several components of the metabolic syndrome—a combination of risk factors that *increases one’s risk for diabetes6
- Reduces blood pressure
- Reduces insulin resistance
- Improves the lipid profile
- Reduces weight
- Increases insulin sensitivity8
- Improves diabetic neuropathy9,10
- Protects against cataract formation11
- Improves visual function in glaucoma12
- Helps prevents retinal cell death when combined with vitamin E in retinitis pigmentosa13
- Reduces brain damage after a stroke15
- Prevents bone loss, possibly through an anti-inflammatory effect19-21
- Removes toxic metals from the body22,23
- Reduces frequency and intensity of migraines24
- Improves skin texture25
C.O.R.-Restor’s Lipoic Acid
With all we’ve discussed about lipoic acid, is there any wonder why we, at In Good Health, have included this potent nutrient in C.O.R.-Restor? Since the amount of lipoic acid produced internally in the body decreases naturally with age, this sest the stage for free radical-induced damage. Although small amounts of lipoic acid are available in food sources, such as dark leafy greens like spinach and collards, broccoli, beef, and organ meats, supplementation is needed to achieve significant intake levels.1,5
As lipoic acid may lower blood glucose levels, individuals with diabetes or glucose intolerance should have their blood glucose monitored while taking lipoic acid. They should also consult their physician about adjusting their dose of anti-diabetic medication in order to avoid hypoglycemia.1
Since the long-term use of lipoic acid has not yet been studied in pregnant women and nursing mothers, these individuals should avoid using the antioxidant until more information is available.1
Conclusion
Scientific studies showing the health benefits of lipoic acid have used doses ranging from 300 mg to 1,800 mg per day. Lipoic acid offers broad-spectrum protection against some of society’s troublesome health conditions, ranging from painful neuropathy and migraine headaches to disabling cataracts and neurodegenerative conditions. As we have discussed, in order to achieve optimal effects, lipoic acid should be taken concomitantly with biotin and the B vitamins. This is true for most nutritional components. Nutrition does not work in a myopic fashion. Nutrition is, and has always been a formula of synergy. The formulators of C.O.R.-Restor have gone to great lengths to develop a product that offers the greatest possible benefits of healthy living and healthy aging. You can begin optimizing your body’s ability to perform as it was created to perform, today, by using C.O.R.-Restor every single day.
If you have any questions about the scientific content of this article, please call one of our Health Advisors at 1-800-226-2370.
References
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6. Pershadsingh HA. Alpha-lipoic acid: physiologic mechanisms and indications for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2007 Mar;16(3):291-302.
7. McMackin CJ, Widlansky ME, Hamburg NM, et al. Effect of combined treatment with alpha-Lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine on vascular function and blood pressure in patients with coronary artery disease. J Clin Hypertens.(Greenwich.). 2007 Apr;9(4):249-55.
8. Kamenova P. Improvement of insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after oral administration of alpha-lipoic acid. Hormones (Athens). 2006 Oct-Dec;5(4):251-8.
9. Ziegler D, Hanefeld M, Ruhnau KJ, et al. Treatment of symptomatic diabetic peripheral neuropathy with the anti-oxidant alpha-lipoic acid. A 3-week multicentre randomized controlled trial (ALADIN Study). Diabetologia. 1995 Dec;38(12):1425-33.
10. Ziegler D, Ametov A, Barinov A, et al. Oral treatment with alpha-lipoic acid improves symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy: the SYDNEY 2 trial. Diabetes Care. 2006 Nov;29(11):2365-70.
11. Maitra I, Serbinova E, Trischler H, Packer L. Alpha-lipoic acid prevents buthionine sulfoximine-induced cataract formation in newborn rats. Free Radic Biol Med. 1995 Apr;18(4):823-9.
12. Filina AA, Davydova NG, Endrikhovskii SN, Shamshinova AM. Lipoic acid as a means of metabolic therapy of open-angle glaucoma. Vestn Oftalmol. 1995 Oct;111(4):6-8.
13. Komeima K, Rogers BS, Lu L, Campochiaro PA. Antioxidants reduce cone cell death in a model of retinitis pigmentosa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jul 25;103(30):11300-5.
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15. Panigrahi M, Sadguna Y, Shivakumar BR, et al. alpha-Lipoic acid protects against reperfusion injury following cerebral ischemia in rats. Brain Res. 1996 Apr 22;717(1-2):184-8.
16. Holmquist L, Stuchbury G, Berbaum K, et al. Lipoic acid as a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Jan;113(1):154-64.
17. Marracci GH, McKeon GP, Marquardt WE, et al. Alpha lipoic acid inhibits human T-cell migration: implications for multiple sclerosis. J Neurosci Res. 2004 Nov 1;78(3):362-70.
18. Marracci GH, Jones RE, McKeon GP, Bourdette DN. Alpha lipoic acid inhibits T cell migration into the spinal cord and suppresses and treats experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Neuroimmunol. 2002 Oct;131(1-2):104-14.
19. Koh JM, Lee YS, Byun CH, et al. Alpha-lipoic acid suppresses osteoclastogenesis despite increasing the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand/osteoprotegerin ratio in human bone marrow stromal cells. J Endocrinol. 2005 Jun;185(3):401-13.
20. Ha H, Lee JH, Kim HN, et al. Alpha-Lipoic acid inhibits inflammatory bone resorption by suppressing prostaglandin E2 synthesis. J Immunol. 2006 Jan 1;176(1):111-7.
21. Kim HJ, Chang EJ, Kim HM, et al. Antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid inhibits osteoclast differentiation by reducing nuclear factor-kappaB DNA binding and prevents in vivo bone resorption induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Free Radic Biol Med. 2006 May 1;40(9):1483-93.
22. Muller L, Menzel H. Studies on the efficacy of lipoate and dihydrolipoate in the alteration of cadmium2+ toxicity in isolated hepatocytes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1990 May 22;1052(3):386-91.
23. Anuradha B, Varalakshmi P. Protective role of DL-alpha-lipoic acid against mercury-induced neural lipid peroxidation. Pharmacol Res. 1999 Jan;39(1):67-80.
24. Magis D, Ambrosini A, Sandor P, Jacquy J, Laloux P, Schoenen J. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of thioctic acid in migraine prophylaxis. Headache. 2007 Jan;47(1):52-7.
25. Beitner H. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind study on the clinical efficacy of a cream containing 5% alpha-lipoic acid related to photoageing of facial skin. Br J Dermatol. 2003 Oct;149(4):841-9.