Does Ala Aid In Amino Acid Utilization?

[JUICESEEKER]

I always here of people reporting of more glucose storage with ala. I was wondeing if it also aids in amino acid utilization as well?, since real insulin uptakes amino acids as well as glucose.

 

[JUICESEEKER]

Can somebody give me an answer? The reason i asked cause someone told me that even though it aids in glucose absorption, there is no proof that it aids in amino acids absorption.

 

[nandi12]

I've never seen any studies showing that it does. It seems that most of the attention on ALA has been focused on its ability to induce translocation (moving to the cell surface) of the GLUT 4 transporter. This transporter moves glucose into the cell. Amino acids are shuttled into the cell by a seperate family of transporters.

It is plausible though that ALA could help transport amino acids by a general increase in insulin signalling. Insulin signalling is involved in amino acid transport. The first step in the insulin signalling cascade of events that ultimately leads to glucose and amino acid uptake is phosphorylation ( the addition of phosphate) of the insulin receptor. This activates the receptor, which in turn phosphorylates a number of other substrates, the best studied of which is IRS-1 (insulin receptor substrate 1).

R-ALA has been shown to do the same things: it induces phosphorylation of both the insulin receptor and IRS-1 (1). This could very well promote amino acid uptake as well as glucose uptake.



(1) Diabetologia 2000 Mar;43(3):294-303

Engagement of the insulin-sensitive pathway in the stimulation of glucose transport by alpha-lipoic acid in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Yaworsky K, Somwar R, Ramlal T, Tritschler HJ, Klip A.

 

[JUICESEEKER]

Come on fellas, i really want some feedbacks on this question. Does ala aid in amino acids uptake or noT?