Is r-ALA better than regular ALA?

[SofaGeorge]

I like the fact that sofageorge put up the poll. I think you probably should have waited another 4-6 weeks to get a better sampling since the first bottles were delivered only 4 weeks ago. But maybe we can post this again at the end of August.

There seems at this point to be too little 'real world' experience to give any validity to the efficacy of r-ALA over ALA other than enthusiastic estimation. This doesn't mean hither or yon... it simply agrees with the fact this poll appears premature. I had hoped there would be more early adapters for a comparison.

I've read through PubMed extensively and find the available information highly interesting but also extremely scanty regarding an application that would assist b/f control or reduction. There appears to be no basis for establishing an efficacious dose of r-ALA or ALA and no basis for an appropriate dosage pattern. (That isn't necessarily a problem. That is actually typical of almost all OTC supplements.)

The most interesting comparison study that I would want to see now is a control of two groups (over age 40) with one taking ALA and one taking r-ALA... judged against 'historic' controls. Unfortunately, costs of a diet related control study are far more prohibitive than a simple supplement study.

All that said... I'm extremely interested in ALA and r-ALA. I put down 5 Thai dishes with rice added Saturday night... then followed that with two triple scoop brownie sundays at Baskin Robbin's... smothered in hot fudge sauce. That was my second cheat meal in two days. Both were supplemented with r-ALA. Normally I can't get away with any cheat meals at all. Now... I'm actually DOWN b/f... and this is following a heavy dose 32 day DNP cycle.

The real world is the most interesting test tube.

 

[Ula]

Luto you have a good memory. I don't use NYC or any other product for fat burning when I am not training for a show. Those posts were 6 months ago when I was planning on going to the Team Universe in Aug, but I can't go.
I was very surprised like sofageorge and some others that I could take r-ALA, eat a less than a perfect meal and still lose bodyfat. That seems impossible for a supp but my sister and I both had the same experience so it's real.

 

[luto199]

alright I see, it just seemed like you were a litttle AF Store happy. BTW, have you ever used regular ala? How long have you usd R-ala and when did you start?

 

[kibrood]

I used racemic for almost 3 months and have been using r-ALA for a little over 2 weeks. I took a 2-3 week break of ALA between each product.

I know it's still a bit soon to fully evaluate r-ALA, so please take that into consideration.

At this point in time I'm seeing the same results on both versions which is approx. .5 - .75% of BF lass per week. I did not have any problems with heartburn with either products as I always take my dose with meals (meals that contain carbs). No allergic reactions either.

My dose of racemic was approx. 3g per day while r-ALA is approx. 1g. My stats are 30 yrs old, currently 163-164 lbs. @ 12-13% BF. My carb intake per day was approx. 160-180g.

I frequently test my urine with ketostix and on both versions I test positive for trace to small levels of ketones. I'm interested to hear more about the possibility of racemic triggering false positives, but whatever the case may be I'm judging things by my fat loss results rather than the colour of my stix.

So, at this point I think they are both good products. I assume at my age I'm still fairly insulin sensitive which may explain why I see similar results with both. If I were to pick one type over the other I would have to say, at this time, that I'd choose racemic. It's purely an economical decision as I can get racemic for a slighty lower price.

I'll continue to track my progress and post if the results change my opinion. I hope something in this post was helpful.

 

[Ulter]

"I hope something in this post was helpful."
Yes it was. It was a great post.

 

[SofaGeorge]

[I hope something in this post was helpful. [/B]

Best post yet, Kibrood. Karma for you.

 

[macrophage69alpha]

age is going to be a big factor in response.. as well as hormonal balance (those using aromatase inhibitors will likely also see a very good response)


SO PLEASE POST AGE

OR AT LEAST WHETHER OVER 20, OVER 25, OVER 30 (THIS SEEMS TO BE A BIG TURNING POINT FOR MOST), ETC..

BTW- OVER 30

 

[hitmeoff]

OK i voted.

Didnt see any "leaning out" on either of the two. Used 1200mg ED of racemic vrs 600mg ED of r-ala. Of course, my diet is far form being great, and I dont think I was taking these at any particular time (as far as meals go). I basically just took them through out the day. Thats probably why I havent seen leaning out on either.

My main reason for taking ALA s or liver proteciton. Given that, I will say I break out in hives when I take racemic, so while it may be a good liver protectant, its not a viable one for me. So far ive had NO allergic reactions what so ever with r-ALA. So strictly speaking on liver protecting qualities and viability, r-ALA wins it hands down, because I can actually use it.

Ok my age is 23!!!

 

[SofaGeorge]

Ok my age is 23!!!

Crap... I should have thought to solicit comparisons from people over 40 ONLY.

 

[Ulter]

Well no you don't have to go that far but it will be more helpful in determining if age is playing a large role or not. The more data the easier it gets to reach a conclusion. If that's even possible.