Lipoic Acid...

Let's talk about the members of the antioxidant network one by one. As you may recall, lipoic acid is one of the components found in the foods mentioned earlier. Lipoic acid or alpha lipoic acid are also sold as supplements. As supplements, it is commonly referred to Alpha Lipoic Acid. Here are some of my favourite points on lipoic acid:

• As a superantioxidant, lipoic acid seems to deviate (in a good way), from the general behaviour expected of antioxidants.
  
  
• Allowed into both the watery and fatty components of a cell, it is known as the only one that recycles all other members of the network of antioxidants.
  
  
• An experiment that revealed the ability of lipoic acid involved 3 groups of mice. One group was fed normal diet, the other was fed a vitamin E deficent diet and the third group was fed lipoic acid supplement but a vitamin E deficient diet. After about 42 days or so, the mice eating the lipoic acid supplement were as healthy as the one with normal diet. The vitamin E deficient group members, however, were described as "old, scrawny, sickly mice". What happened here? Whatever happened, it can't be bad. I guess the key is in the point I wrote just before this one.
  
  
• Another experiment was conducted where stroke were induced in laboratory rats. When blood was allowed back into the brain and oxygen was restored, 80% of the rats died within 24 hrs. The experiment was repeated and this time, lipoic acid was injected into the rats before normal blood flow was restored. In this instance, 25% died and those that recover showed no signs of problems. Further probe indicated glutathione levels were also boosted in the lipoic acid treated rats, providing extra protection surrounding the stroke events and thereafter. If mice can be protected from the damages of stroke can we? It doesn't seem far fetched does it?
  
  
• Prof. Bruce Ames, then at the University of California, found that lipoic acid, along with the amino acid L-carnitine, can help renew mitochondria [the cell's energy powerhouse] in old animals. Another arsenal against the degenerative effects of aging, it seems.
  
  
• This one is my personal favouries. In 1977, Dr. Burton Berkson treated a couple with an often fatal liver disease. This disease was brought related to an Amanita mushroom poisoning. As mentioned, it is often fatal. He tried lipoic acid on the couple. They reported feeling better within the hour. They were out of bed after 3 days and resumed normal life within 2 weeks. Two weeks?! That's short. From fatal to normal in two weeks. That's lipoic acid for you.