Alpha lipoic is an antioxidant. An antioxidant helps your body by fighting free radicals. The difference between Alpha-lipoic acid and other antioxidants is that it is not water soluble. Free radicals are the waste products which are left over after your body turns food into energy. These free radicals can cause chemical reactions that damage the body’s cells and make it harder for you to fight off infectious diseases. The cells in your body need to be protected from damage by free radicals.

The unfortunate thing about most antioxidants is they are water soluble, which means most will not stay in the body long. Alpha-lipoic, however is both water soluble and fat soluble, which means it can work throughout the body for longer. Another benefit to alpha-lipoic is that it might help regenerate other antioxidants. This means that after being depleted by free radicals an antioxidant can be made active again after coming in contact with alpha lipoic acid.

Stroke Prevention

Because of its unique nature alpha-lipoic acid can pass into the brain easily. Once there it can protect the brain and nerve tissue. Researchers suspect there is a linkage between free radicals and strokes. Currently research is going on to determine if alpha-lipoic can act as a stroke preventative and can be used in treatment after a stroke happens.

Alcohol Related Liver Disease

Currently research is also ongoing to see if this acid can help with treatment of alcohol related liver disease. The reason for this research is the success that doctors have had with giving patients who have accidently ingested a poisonous mushroom known as Amanita. This causes liver damage, but a treatment of alpha-lipoic acid and silymarin reduces the continuation of damage. Of course, there is nothing that can repair liver damage, but this shows the promise of reducing ongoing or continuing damage.

Diabetes

Alpha-lipoic acid has demonstrated the ability to lower blood sugar levels. It has also been proven to help the numbness and burning sensation experienced by those who have diabetic nerve damage. The condition called autonomic neuropathy, which is damage to the nerves supplying the heart can also be helped by this acid.

Side effects

The known side effects of taking alpha lipoic acid can include headache, numbness, muscle cramps, and skin rash. It is important to note that no tests have been conducted to see what effect this type of supplement might have on pregnant or nursing women, children, or people with badly compromised immune systems.