How much more effective is R-ALA over ALA

[Lao Tzu]

5x, 10x? i can't get a straight answer and the search function is no help. Someone give me a clear answer.

 

[macrophage69alpha]

depends on what aspect.

for glucose clearance 3-4 times generally.
for retinal anti-oxident protection 25 times- mostly due to s blocking.
impact on plasma insulin, unknown whether ala can even do this though if possible likely considerably higher than the 3-4 times dosage needed for glucose clearance.


the negative impacts of the s-isomer have not been fully explored so a complete answer is yet to be had. as well as full comparisons of racemate v. r-ala.

were there any specific aspects you were interested in?

 

[sawastea]

Ok, here is the interesting part……as extrapolated above, R-ALA is about 3X more powerful than ALA at stimulating glucose up-take and disposal FOR A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF CARBS. Very important this. From the numbers above, one can easily see that 2000mgs R-ALA was about as effective as 3100mg ALA(I extrapolated) in keeping the blood glucose response curve under control, making it only 55% stronger than ALA not 3X stronger. Interesting. We have just discovered something of importance. R-ALA(
And similiarly ALA to a smaller degree) works best if carb intake during the day is comprised of SMALLER carb meals not one big one.

CONCLUSION:

Having completed the experiment I can safely say I think I have the dosages of R-ALA and racemic ALA pretty well figured out. These are: 11.11mg of racemic ALA per gram(g) of carbohydrates, and 3.7mg of R-ALA per gram(g) of carbohydrates; AS LONG AS the carb content of the meal
is kept < 108g. If the carb content of the meal goes beyond 108g the R-ALA loses effectiveness at an ever increasing rate, but still manages to be 55% more effective(mg per mg) than racemic after a single 280g carb load.To use an analogy, R-ALA is like a scalpel while ALA is like a kitchen Knife. They will both work, but for cutting I would go with R-ALA, and
for bulking I’d go with racemic ALA because of the cost.