ALA may not be so great

[NFG123]

I don't want to smash what others have built, but I feel the need to point something out ...

In most of the studies done on ALA and saying how it is a great antioxidant, the dose given to the mice was 100 mg / kg of bodyweight.

To translate this dose into human size, an "effective dose" would be

8,000 - 10,000 mg or about 8 - 10 g per day.

So the 600 mg most are taking might be good for food repartitioning, etc, but as a liver protectant ... you might have to literally take 14x that dose ...

Please give me some honest feedback ... did anyone else notice this?

NFG

 

[tyguy]

That is a good point, but what I have read is 30mg/kg of body weight, and the majority of us are not necessarily taking it for the anti-oxidant benefits but for it's glucose/insulin benefits. But some studies may have been around 100mg/kg/bweight, but I haven't read such studies.

 

[NFG123]

I agree.

For insulin-type benefits 600 mg / day seems to be effective.

NFG

 

[tyguy]

If you are taking ALA for only anit-ox reasons also throw in some Vit C and I believe E, and some cranberry juice wouldn't hurt. There is also one other product that I can't quite put my finger on but you hear it used a lot with winny and DNP. If I think of it I will post it.

 

[JUICESEEKER]

I DISAGREE WITH NFG123. MOST SCIENTIST BELIEVE ALPHA LIPOIC ACID TO BE THE MOST POTENT ANTI-OXIDANT KNOWN TO MAN. READ THIS STUDY AND GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS.

Alpha-lipoic acid in liver metabolism and disease.

Bustamante J, Lodge JK, Marcocci L, Tritschler HJ, Packer L, Rihn BH.

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3200, USA.

R-alpha-Lipoic acid is found naturally occurring as a prosthetic group in alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complexes of the mitochondria, and as such plays a fundamental role in metabolism. Although this has been known for decades, only recently has free supplemented alpha-lipoic acid been found to affect cellular metabolic processes in vitro, as it has the ability to alter the redox status of cells and interact with thiols and other antioxidants. Therefore, it appears that this compound has important therapeutic potential in conditions where oxidative stress is involved. Early case studies with alpha-lipoic acid were performed with little knowledge of the action of alpha-lipoic acid at a cellular level, but with the rationale that because the naturally occurring protein bound form of alpha-lipoic acid has a pivotal role in metabolism, that supplementation may have some beneficial effect. Such studies sought to evaluate the effect of supplemented alpha-lipoic acid, using low doses, on lipid or carbohydrate metabolism, but little or no effect was observed. A common response in these trials was an increase in glucose uptake, but increased plasma levels of pyruvate and lactate were also observed, suggesting that an inhibitory effect on the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was occurring. During the same period, alpha-lipoic acid was also used as a therapeutic agent in a number of conditions relating to liver disease, including alcohol-induced damage, mushroom poisoning, metal intoxification, and CCl4 poisoning. Alpha-Lipoic acid supplementation was successful in the treatment for these conditions in many cases. Experimental studies and clinical trials in the last 5 years using high doses of alpha-lipoic acid (600 mg in humans) have provided new and consistent evidence for the therapeutic role of antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid in the treatment of insulin resistance and diabetic polyneuropathy. This new insight should encourage clinicians to use alpha-lipoic acid in diseases affecting liver in which oxidative stress is involved.

 

[Delinquent]

I saw that report on world news tonight. Someone posted a link to it the other day.

 

[NY1Muscle]

Since so many people report heartburn and reflux symptoms I would NOT take ALA in the following situations:

1) if you have known gastic ulcers

2) cut out the asa while on it

3) no nsaids with it (motrin, alleve, advil)

4) consider trying taking it with over the counter zantac ($$) or
ask your doc for a rx for someting for acid refulx if you have a
good drug plan.

-if you're going to take it in situation 1-3 think about taking it with prilosec or something that shuts down acid production completely. although most of the young (<25) guys here will never have a problem.

Here's what I'd be concerned about: there may be someone over 30 who might have trouble (stomach bleeding) if they were to be taking this to get big along with ASA in a fat burning stack, and advil when they overdo it in the gym (like me 34 = old fart with occasional aches and pains.)

Sounds safe to me....if we use some common sense everyone here will avoid unneccesary problems.

 

[NFG123]

While that is interesting, it makes no mention of any particular trials in which ALA was shown to have protective benefits in the presence of hepatotoxic substances ... only in treatment of ALREADY damange tissues where the substance having done the damage had been stopped ... not in a model where it is continually being run. I also havent seen the studies it mentions.

NFG

 

[myasshurts]

How do you guys take your ALA? I've started taking 250 mg with every meal and right now I just dump the powder down my throat. From the way it feels I can't imagine that it is good for my throat. Is there a good way to take it besides putting it in pills?