I am interested to hear any experiences from people who have triend Alpha Lipoic Acid. It is a supplement that has been tested to prevent and reverse nerve damage and lower blood sugars.
I was really excited to try it-- so I bought it (in a body building shop!! I never thought that I would go into one of those). It was pretty expensive, but I wanted to give it a try. Now I was too afraid to take the first one before bed in case it would really cause hypoglycemia…
So I decided to ask first-- has anyone taken it? In what dose and how often? Any side effects or things that I should watch out for?
I’ve been taking alpha lipoic acid since I was diagnosed with T1 this summer–it’s made a huge difference or me. I’ll need to check exactly what I take when I get home, but I do know that it’s a time-released formula. Here’s a study that was done specifically with the time-released form (treatment in the study also involved benfotiamine, a form of vitamin B1): http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/37598
Within the first week of being on this, I saw a big difference in my numbers and was able to reduce my insulin dosage substantially. It is expensive, but it’s been totally worth it for me.
Kristin - I take R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (called Insulow) with evening primrose oil, as recommended by Dr. Bernstein in his book. It’s considered a universal antioxidant so it probably has other beneficial effects like preventing free radical damage. I also take Metformin, B vitamins, chromium, fenugreek, bitter melon, lutein, gymnema sylvestre extract and flaxseeds, basically, anything that’s suppose to be good for diabetics, I will try them out [let’s just say I spent way too much money on buying supplements, gym outfits, blood glucose monitors within the last couple of months]. The thing is, I think exercising has probably helped me the most. But I do believe in taking good supplements, so for Christmas, I’m making a gift basket for my glucose intolerant sister - it will be exercise bands, pedometer, R-ALA, fenugreek, chromium and gumnema sylvestre, low carb snacks and a bar of Lindt 85% dark chocolate just to make her smile, along with copies of books on diabetes & prediabetes! I don’t want her to get diabetes like me!
There are many great supplements out there to help us control our diabetes more “naturally”. I take the ALA and also Chromium Picolinate. Jarrow Formulas makes something called Glucose Optimizer that is also a great supplement. Sometimes its hard taking all these things but I look at it this way, its better than taking a shot.
Alright, here’s the info about my alpha lipoic acid:
ALAmax CR (controlled-release) by Xymogen
I take two tablets/day–roughly one at breakfast and one at dinner. Each tablet is 400 mg.
Again, it’s by no means cheap, but it has been well-worth it for me. From what I understand, the controlled-release aspect of it is important, so this one might be worth checking out if the brand you found isn’t.
As per reducing your insulin dose, if you did at all, I would probably only reduce it very slightly, so that you can really just wait and see how you react to it–since everyone is different after all. You may just want to leave your dose as is and see how if affects you, but test more often so you can keep a closer eye on your numbers and then adjust your insulin from there.
Be aware that Alpha Lipocic Acid can initiate depressions. This is my personal experience and I heard about this tendency from others as well. Some might be prone to this tendency and others will not have any issue. It has positive effects in the prevention and repair of nerve damages. Therefore I recommend that you tell your partner about this possibility. He should watch for sings of depression or mood swings since you will not realize this development in the early stages.
Thanks for the heads-up, Holger. I don’t think I’ve had an issue from the ALA, but I’ve dealt with depression for a long time so it’ll be good to watch out for.
I also read that taking ALA makes your A1c level lower than you average blood sugar level (so the A1c is not a good test of average blood sugar if you take ALA). Does anyone know about this?
I believe I’ve heard this too. According to the study abstract I linked to above, ALA reduces the glycation process (specifically the formation of advanced glycation end products, which, if I have my science right, are what elevate A1c levels). So, not only can it reduce insulin resistance but also potentially reduce complications resulting from elevated A1cs.
Hi Kristin. What next, pumping iron? LOL
I use flax seed oil that is fortified with extra alpha lipoic acid and I take primrose oil .I notice I wasn’t getting that "tingling"and burning feeling in my toes.
Other foods tha have alpha lipoic acid are brewer’s yeast, rice bran, spinach,peas, brocccoli,and brussel sprouts . Also , other componds is brussel sprouts and broccoli are able to prevent damage in blood vessels caused by AGE end product.
I’ve been taking ALA for a while (400 mg twice a day). It does work great for neuropathies, but I haven’t found that it has reduced my insulin to any significant extent & it hasn’t caused hypoglycemia. Maybe I’m not taking enough, Don’t take on an empty stomach because some people experience an upset tummy.
I order from Swanson vitamins. Will have to check out Puritan’s prices–thanks, Renee. Don’t know if either of them ship overseas.
Thanks this website seems great! I’ve been ordering from Vitacost.com & Amazon but will have to look into this website as well. I’m only taking 2x 100mg/day. Wonder if that’s enough to make a difference.
The ALA studies I’ve read involved treatment for neuropathies. The dose given for this was between 400-800 mg. daily. Haven’t been able to find much for prevention doses.
Thanks for all the info. I have ordered some from vitacost.com and got the one with Biotin. (Supposedly ALA needs Biotin to work properly). I will spend Christmas in the USA So I don’t need to worry about overseas shipping for now-- I am stocking up!
I have read about studies of ALA being used for preventative reasons. The effective dose was 600 mg/day (2 x 300mg). Most of the “diabetic vitamins” have much less in it. I will try to find that article again.
Alpha-lipoic acid supplementation and diabetes.
Singh U, Jialal I.
Laboratory of Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California 95817, USA.
Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder that is usually accompanied by increased production of reactive oxygen species or by impaired antioxidant defenses. Importantly, oxidative stress is particularly relevant to the risk of cardiovascular disease. Alpha-lipoic acid (LA), a naturally occurring dithiol compound, has long been known as an essential cofactor for mitochondrial bioenergetic enzymes. LA is a very important micronutrient with diverse pharmacologic and antioxidant properties. Pharmacologically, LA improves glycemic control and polyneuropathies associated with diabetes mellitus; it also effectively mitigates toxicities associated with heavy metal poisoning. As an antioxidant, LA directly terminates free radicals, chelates transition metal ions, increases cytosolic glutathione and vitamin C levels, and prevents toxicities associated with their loss. These diverse actions suggest that LA acts by multiple mechanisms both physiologically and pharmacologically. Its biosynthesis decreases as people age and is reduced in people with compromised health, thus suggesting a possible therapeutic role for LA in such cases. Reviewed here is the known efficacy of LA with particular reference to types 1 and 2 diabetes. Particular attention is paid to the potential benefits of LA with respect to glycemic control, improved insulin sensitivity, oxidative stress, and neuropathy in diabetic patients. It appears that the major benefit of LA supplementation is in patients with diabetic neuropathy.
1: Nutrition. 2001 Oct;17(10):888-95.
Molecular aspects of lipoic acid in the prevention of diabetes complications.
Packer L, Kraemer K, Rimbach G.
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, 1985 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90098-9121, USA. packerresearch@aol.com
Alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid, are powerful antioxidants. LA scavenges hydroxyl radicals, hypochlorous acid, peroxynitrite, and singlet oxygen. Dihydrolipoic acid also scavenges superoxide and peroxyl radicals and can regenerate thioredoxin, vitamin C, and glutathione, which in turn can recycle vitamin E. There are several possible sources of oxidative stress in diabetes including glycation reactions, decompartmentalization of transition metals, and a shift in the reduced-oxygen status of the diabetic cells. Diabetics have increased levels of lipid hydroperoxides, DNA adducts, and protein carbonyls. Available data strongly suggest that LA, because of its antioxidant properties, is particularly suited to the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications that arise from an overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. In addition to its antioxidant properties, LA increases glucose uptake through recruitment of the glucose transporter-4 to plasma membranes, a mechanism that is shared with insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Further, recent trials have demonstrated that LA improves glucose disposal in patients with type II diabetes. In experimental and clinical studies, LA markedly reduced the symptoms of diabetic pathologies, including cataract formation, vascular damage, and polyneuropathy. To develop a better understanding of the preventative and therapeutic potentials of LA, much of the current interest is focused on elucidating its molecular mechanisms in redox dependent gene expression.
Here is an article about the benefits of ALA for type 2 diabetics. It is mostly used in treating people that ALREADY have nerve damage, but some studies suggest that it could prevent nerve damage as well. I think that the benefits are still being studied and are not completely understood yet.
For some reason, I still feel compelled to take it It is quite expensive, but there are some doctors that already really encourage their patients to take it. The question is how much to take. I am only taking 300mg per day for now.
This is helpful and ALA sounds worthwhile from all the info I’m reading here. Especially encouraging is that it can be taken as a preventative supplement. I’d like to try it too!
So I don’t need to worry about overseas shipping for now-- I am stocking up!