Stay healthy with alpha-lipoic acid
Added 05.01.2009
It's hard to believe that a single substance can hold so many health benefits; from treating Alzheimer's disease to slowing down the aging process, alpha-lipoic acid is on the fast track to becoming an indispensible nutrient. And it's no wonder why: alpha-lipoic acid - contained in every single plant and animal cell - helps to keep our cells functioning and us alive.
What is alpha-lipoic acid?
Alpha-lipoic acid is one of the most potent antioxidants because it is both water- and fat-soluble - what is known as a broad spectrum antioxidant. This means it can carry out its functions in many different environments (water and fatty tissues) throughout the body, where other antioxidants are limited. The ability to penetrate into all parts of a cell, allows alpha-lipoic acid to do what no other antioxidant can do, and that is to ultimately keep you healthy.What is alpha-lipoic acid good for?
Alpha-lipoic acid has a host of documented benefits and to list them all would require a lot of space! As an antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid helps your body get rid of free radicals, which causes aging, among other things, and protects your cells against damage. It also reduces toxicity from heavy metals such as iron, mercury, cadmium and lead, and recycles other vital antioxidants such as vitamin C, E and coenzyme Q10 for a synergistic effect. Other benefits of alpha-lipoic acid include:- Neuro-protective effect (slows the aging of the brain and treats Alzheimer's disease.
- Slows down the aging process.
- Protects against liver damage.
- Protects the eyes (glaucoma).
- Protects against cardiovascular disease.
- Protects against cancer.
- Improves overall well-being.
- Speeds up the healling process caused by sports injuries and other tissue related injuries.
- Anti-inflammatory effects.
- Boosts the activity of certain immune system cells.
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Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments:
Many of you might ask yourself, isn't it better to consume alpha-lipoic acid directly from food sources? The answer would be yes, if we were able to ingest sufficient amounts from food. Unfortunately, this is not the case and scientific studies can attest to the fact that consumption of alpha-lipoic acid from food does not result in any significant health benefit. Natural supplements on the other hand can supply higher but safe and effective doses of alpha-lipoic acid that do translate into a multitude of health benefits.
