Over the last few decades, renowned scientists who study nutrients have been able to gather important insights into certain nutrients. One impressive example of this is alpha-lipoic acid. It is sometimes referred to as lipoic or thioctic acid.
Alpha-lipoic acid has been known for its structure and its chemical and physiological functions since the 1950s. Nevertheless, its true potential remained undiscovered. Lipoic acid was only occasionally used in the treatment of neuropathies. It was practically in a "sleeping beauty" state until vitamin researchers recognized it as an outstanding antioxidant a few years ago.
Since then, science has been thrilled. A well-known antioxidant researcher who holds a professorship for molecular cell biology at the American "Berkeley University" said: "In our view, alpha-lipoic acid is the most powerful antioxidant that we know of." Even if scientists often disagree about new findings, they do not agree here. It is known that free radicals can wreak havoc in the human organism. These aggressive substances are the main reason for the aging process. They ensure that normal body functions become increasingly weaker with age. The aging organism becomes more susceptible to degenerative processes and diseases due to their effects.
Alpha-lipoic acid - an effective inhibitor of aging processes
If oxidative processes that cause free radicals in the body are not responded to with appropriate antioxidants, aging processes occur much more quickly. The decline in performance and the increased susceptibility to age-related diseases increase. However, there is now an effective remedy for this. These destructive processes can be limited and slowed down by using effective antioxidants.
After its discovery, alpha-lipoic acid was initially considered a vitamin. Its correct assessment could only be made after knowledge of its actual potential was available. Lipoic acid can actually be produced in the human body. Researchers now consider alpha-lipoic acid to be one of the most potent and versatile antioxidants. Lipoic acid also has a long-term effect.
The versatility of alpha-lipoic acid
What distinguishes lipoic acid most from other antioxidants is its solubility in fat and water. This special property allows it to reach both watery cell tissues and fatty areas in the body. The former include, for example, the blood or the extracellular space, the latter the cell walls or membranes. In addition, the lipoproteins in the blood or the fatty nerve sheaths are protected from oxidation by alpha-lipoic acid.
For researchers, alpha-lipoic acid is therefore the most important antioxidant thanks to its versatile properties and as a synergistic antioxidant. The interesting point is that only alpha-lipoic acid is able to exert its effects as an antioxidant in both water-soluble and fat-soluble areas of the body. This fact is of great importance. It means that this powerful antioxidant can literally be active in all areas of the body that are susceptible to oxidation. It is effective precisely where the well-known age-related diseases are triggered by oxidative cell damage. We are talking about diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, for example.
But the property already mentioned is not everything. Due to its relatively small molecular size, alpha-lipoic acid can cross the blood-brain barrier. Most of the potent antioxidants are not able to do this. In fact, this means that lipoic acid also has a protective effect against neurological and cognitive degeneration consequences such as Alzheimer's dementia. The body's most important power plants, the mitochondria, are constantly bombarded with oxidative free radicals thanks to the energy metabolism in the body's fuel cells. If there is no adequate defense through potent antioxidants - for example due to insufficient intake through food - the damage accumulates. This leads to various effects, which occur primarily in old age.
The antioxidant that can regenerate other antioxidants
Alpha-lipoic acid has a double benefit in the body. On the one hand, it can reactivate other antioxidants. On the other hand, it has the unique ability to regenerate itself. In this respect, it can also regenerate vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and coenzyme Q 10, all of which are important antioxidants. In plain language, this means that when these antioxidants have lost their antioxidant "power" in fighting off free radicals, lipoic acid restores it. This is why scientists refer to it as the "antioxidant of antioxidants."
The theory that free radicals cause degeneration and aging processes is supported by leading scientists today. One of them is the renowned biochemist Bruce Ames. He works at the University of California in Berkeley. He also emphasizes that oxidation processes occur as a normal "by-product" of every metabolism. Such oxidation processes cause significant DNA damage as well as damage to proteins and lipids. This oxidative damage plays a significant role in aging, degeneration and disease processes of old age.
Diseases such as cancer, immune disorders, cataracts, cardiovascular diseases or brain dysfunction are the result of oxidation processes. To the researchers' astonishment, alpha-lipoic acid has a strong antioxidant effect. At the same time, however, it can reduce the production of oxidative substances that arise as byproducts of metabolism.
Does lipoic acid have a positive effect on fat burning?
The fact that alpha-lipoic acid is active in water- or fat-soluble environments has other effects. As a side effect of studies on its antioxidant effect, it was found that lipoic acid also improves fat burning at the cellular level. Mice with higher levels of fat tissue were examined for changes in insulin tolerance. They were given alpha-lipoic acid. The animals showed measurable weight loss during the study. The mass of mitochondria in certain fat cells also decreased.
Can alpha lipoic acid therefore be considered a natural diet aid? The research leaders say yes. They believe that taking alpha lipoic acid is a good decision in terms of staying healthy, either way. However, the pounds fall off more as a side effect.
Alpha-lipoic acid: the all-rounder among antioxidants
Alpha-lipoic acid has been very well researched in terms of its antioxidant effects. It unfolds its spectrum of effects throughout the entire organism. This is also why a type of "recycling" of essential nutrients and vitamins can take place. The absorption of these substances increases through the simultaneous administration of alpha-lipoic acid. Alpha-lipoic acid is also unique because, thanks to its small molecular structure, it is the only antioxidant that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. This means that it can also trigger effects in brain tissue. This is a decisive factor in rendering nitric oxide and dangerous nitrogen radicals harmless.
In the laboratory, alpha-lipoic acid has proven its neuroprotective properties, particularly in combination with acetyl-L-carnitine. These two substances work synergistically in the organism. When taken at the same time, their protective effects reinforce each other.
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Alpha-lipoic acid is the most powerful antioxidant
