Alpha Lipoic Acid is prescribed in Germany for adult onset of diabetes. There it has been shown to help for the following reasons:
- Alpha Lipoic Acid increases the sugar burning ability of insulin
- Alpha Lipoic Acid decreases insulin resistance
- Alpha Lipoic Acid increases ATP production
- Alpha Lipoic Acid decreases the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy
Alpha-lipoic acid has produced convincing evidence of it’s abilty to aid in glucose control. It has also proven to be a strong antioxidant in the fight against diabetes. In a recent human studies, alpha-lipoic acid alone, significantly reduced glucose levels in type 2 Diabetes. A study published in Diabetes Care in February 2009, shows German doctors gave lean and obese type 2 Diabetes Patients 600 milligrams of alpha-lipoic acid twice per day. Although more drastic changes were noted in lean people, both groups had lower fasting glucose concentrations.
Researchers believe that alpha-lipoic acid works by lowering the levels of lactate and pyruvate that are increased after people ingest carbohydrates. Lactate and pyruvate are products of the digestive process that can lead to damage like lactic acidosis. Other studies have led to similar conclusions of alpha-lipoic acid’s beneficial effects on blood glucose levels. ABC news did a television story on its power as an antioxidant, and an entire book has been written about it.
“Lipoic Acid in Health and Disease” is edited by Jurgen Fuchs, MD, PhD, and Guido Zimmer, MD, PhD, of Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, and Lester Packer, PhD, of the University of California, Berkeley.
The book contains numerous studies with evidence that alpha-lipoic acid fights insulin resistance and neuropathy.
Natural Health magazine says in its “Consumer Guide to Vitamins & Minerals,” July-August 1998 issue, “100 to 600 milligrams per day is a helpful amount of alpha-lipoic acid for people with diabetes.”
