What Is Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) Good For?

The 14 health benefits of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) include:

1. Powerful antioxidant:
   • ALA is a potent supplement that may aid in thepreventionof oxidativestressand can efficiently scavenge free radicals.
   • ALA chelates, or binds to, toxic metals, assisting in their removal from the body. Additionally, toxic metals contribute to oxidativestress.
   • ALA regenerates or enhances other antioxidants such asvitaminsC and E, glutathione, andcoenzyme Q10.
2. Skin health:
   • ALA speeds upwoundhealing in patients with chronic wounds.
   • When applied directly to the skin, ALA increases skin thickness and decreases roughness and sun damage in elderly patients.
   • According to some studies, topical lipoic acid can reverse skin damage caused bycigarettesmoke.
3. Diabetes:
   • ALA appears to have potential benefits in theprevention of diabetesand is approved in some countries as part of a diabetic treatment plan.
   • It hasinsulin-mimetic activity, which means it improves glucose handling and consumption.
   • ALA lowers blood glucose and improves insulin sensitivity in patients with type IIdiabetes, includingoverweightadults with the condition.
4. Weight management:
   • ALA is a useful addition to aweight lossprogram; however, ALA alone will not causeweight loss.
   • ALA may improve glucose and fat metabolism, which means that more sugars andfatsin foods are broken down and used for energy rather than being stored as fat.
   • Lipoic acid prevents the production of chemerin, a molecule linked toobesityandmetabolic syndrome. This could be how lipoic acid aids in the fight against obesity anddiabetes.
5. Brain health and neurological disorders:
   • ALA has shown promising results in various neurological disorders.
   • ALA may act as a neuroprotective agent due to its antioxidant properties.
   • Through enhanced anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, studies have reported that ALA may restore damaged neurons and promote long-term functional recovery.
6. Exerciserecovery:
   • Short-term studies report that ALA supplementation protects DNA and cells from oxidative stress caused byexercise. Moreover, it helps men who are physically active regenerate their muscles.
   • ALA changes the internal chemistry of cells, promoting muscle regeneration after injury.
7. Inflammation:
   • Adiethigh in ALA may reduce inflammation markers over time.
   • In subjects withmultiple sclerosis,metabolic syndrome、糖尿病和器官移植,阿拉巴马州n anti-inflammatory effect.
8. 心health:
   • Dietary ALA may benefit heart health. Supplementation reduces low-density lipoprotein (bad)cholesterolandtriglyceride levelsand increases high-density lipoprotein (good) cholesterol inclinical trials.
   • Many studies have reported that ALA may play a role in the prevention and treatment ofatherosclerosis(artery hardening) and related cardiovascular diseases.
   • ALA increases nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation (blood vessel widening) and promotes anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic (blood clot-reducing) pathways.
   • ALA may help prevent the development ofhypertension(high blood pressure) by lowering the level of inflammatory cytokines in the blood and preventing pathological changes to blood vessel cells.
9. Migraines:
   • Migraineshave been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Lipoic acid is beneficial in both cases.
   • Lipoic acid increases the efficacy of themigrainemedicationtopiramate. The combination of lipoic acid and topiramate was significantly more effective than either drug alone in reducing the frequency and duration of migraines.
10. Pain:
    • Although lipoic acid is not as effective as traditionalpainrelievers, it may reduce the number of pharmaceuticaldrugsneeded to manage pain.
    • To determine its role inpain management, much more research will be required.
11. Sperm quality:
    • After 12 weeks of eating a healthy, ALA-richdiet, studies report that it can significantly increase total sperm count, sperm concentration, and motility levels.
12. High-risk pregnancies:
    • Lipoic acid may improve the health of both the mother and fetus in high-risk pregnancies.
    • Furthermore,miscarriagerisk may go down with lipoic acid supplementation.
13. Bone health:
    • Several laboratory studies have reported that lipoic acid prevents inflammation-induced bone loss, reduces inflammation, and improves cartilage degeneration in patients withosteoarthritis.
14. Longevity research:
    • Many ALA-rich foods are included in a healthy diet, and lipoic acid consumption may be linked to an increase in lifespan.
    • Fighting free radicals is an effective way to protect against cell damage.
    • Lipoic acid may stimulate the enzyme telomerase that helps slow theagingprocess.

The majority of research on ALA is contradictory. Because the literature on ALAsupplementsis new and growing, it's difficult to consider the findings more than the preliminary.

There is currently insufficient evidence to determine whether these theoretical mechanisms will be effective in the long run. These products, like manydietary supplements, have almost no scientific evidence of efficacy.

Some of the early studies used animals (typically rodents) as test subjects rather than humans, whereas others used in vitro experiments (outside of a living organism). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved ALA as a treatment for any medical disorder.