What is lipoic acid used to treat?
People most commonly use alpha-lipoic acid for nerve pain in people with diabetes. It is also used for obesity, altitude sickness, aging skin, high levels of cholesterol or other fats in the blood, and many other purposes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these other uses.
Can alpha-lipoic acid be toxic?
Abstract. Introduction: Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant used to treat a variety of disorders. Although ALA is considered a very safe supplement and intoxication is very rare, acute high-dose ingestions can cause mortality.
What foods are rich in lipoic acid?
They include spinach, broccoli, yams, potatoes, yeast, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, and rice bran. Red meat — and particularly organ meat — is also a source of alpha-lipoic acid.
What does lipoic acid do in metabolism?
Lipoic acid is an often overlooked, essential cofactor for mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, which participates in catalysis and regulation of multiple enzyme complexes. Biosynthesis of LA links mitochondrial fatty-acid synthesis, SAM, and iron–sulfur cluster biosynthesis with TCA cycle oxidative capacity.
Which vitamin is lipoic acid?
Lipoic acid is another B-complex vitamin, whose only known function is to participate in the oxidative decarboxylations of α-ketoacids, principally conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, and α-ketoglutarate to succi-nyl-CoA, two similar dehydrogenase complexes of the TCA cycle.
What happens if you take too much lipoic acid?
Higher doses are not recommended, as there’s no evidence that they provide extra benefits. Furthermore, animal research has found that extremely high doses of alpha-lipoic acid may promote oxidation, alter liver enzymes, and place strain on liver and breast tissue (38, 39 ).
Do eggs have alpha-lipoic acid?
One omega-3 enriched egg provides nearly half of the optimal intake level of ALA and about one-quarter of the optimal intake level of EPA and DHA — all together about the same amount of omega-3 fatty acids found in a 3 oz.
Does alpha-lipoic acid deplete iron?
An in vivo study with human lens epithelial cells carried out by Goralska et al23 showed that lipoic acid supplementation reduces the concentration of free iron, reduces the absorption of iron from transferrin and increases the incorporation of iron into ferritin.
What is the other name of lipoic acid?
Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant also known as Acetate Replacing Factor, ALA, Biletan, Lipoicin, Thioctan, and many other names. Alpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid that can be found in many foods such as yeast, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, and organ meats such as liver or kidney.
Where is lipoic acid found?
Lipoic acid is present in many foods in which it is bound to lysine in proteins, but slightly more so in kidney, heart, liver, spinach, broccoli, and yeast extract. Naturally occurring lipoic acid is always covalently bound and not readily available from dietary sources.
What vitamin is lipoic acid?
Can alpha-lipoic acid make you sleepy?
Side effects are generally rare and may include insomnia, fatigue, diarrhea, and skin rash. Alpha-lipoic acid can lower blood sugar levels, so people with diabetes or low blood sugar should take alpha-lipoic acid only under the supervision of their health care provider.
Does alpha-lipoic acid make urine smell?
The Alpha lipoic acid in Nervive can potentially make your urine smell, much like asparagus does for some people. Although the strong sulfur-like smell in urine can be a little surprising, this effect is harmless. In fact, it is a sign that your body is processing the Alpha lipoic acid.
Is alpha-lipoic acid an anti inflammatory?
α-Lipoic acid has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties: an experimental study in rats with carrageenan-induced acute and cotton pellet-induced chronic inflammations.
Does avocado have alpha-lipoic acid?
Avocado and Omega-3s Vegetables and fruits like avocado contain a fatty acid called ALA.
Does flaxseed contain alpha-lipoic acid?
Flaxseed is one of the richest plant sources of the ω-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 ω-3) (15), but it is found in other foods as well (Table 1). The typical North American diet provides approximately 1.4 g of ALA per day, and 0.1 g to 0.2 g of EPA and DHA (16).