Alpha lipoic acid, commonly known as ALA, serves as a powerful antioxidant on its own and by protecting other antioxidants like vitamins C and E, making it a powerful anti aging nutrient. In fact, alpha lipoic acid has good impact on blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and also liver health.
Alpha lipoic acid is made by the body and can be found in foods such as spinach, broccoli, peas, brewer’s yeast, brussel sprouts, rice bran and organ meats. Besides, alpha lipoic acid supplements are available in capsule form at health food stores, some drugstores and also online. For maximum absorption purpose, these supplements should be taken on an empty stomach.
Although alpha lipoic acid is not specifically a supplement for weight loss program, it helps in 2 areas that can stall your healthy weight loss progress.
1) Improve insulin sensitivity
Studies show that alpha lipoic acid can improve the body insulin resistance condition. Publish in Free Radical Biology & Medicine and Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, studies show that alpha lipoic acid is a multifunctional antioxidant that can improve insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. That is why it belongs in the healthy weight loss program for anyone who has to lose lots of pounds.
Besides, they are some studies about alpha lipoic acid helping in diabetic neuropathy, the peripheral pain most diabetics feel in their extremities. The main cause of neuropathy is glucose or sugar. The whole process is named glycation, happens when excess glucose literally sticks to protein in the bloodstream, gumming up the works, impairing signals to nerves and making difficulty in circulation especially in the tiny capillaries in the eyes and toes. As alpha lipoic acid is one of the antiglycation agents, it helps in this situation.
2) Be a liver protector
Alpha lipoic acid helps in healthy weight loss by protecting our liver. We need to know that liver serves as the body’s main fat-processing factory, and fat burning is not going to function well if there is a traffic jam in the liver. In most of the cases, fatty liver, a condition that many of the obese people have, can definitely slow things up. If they have excess of medication issue, toxins and pollutants, then the liver condition become worse.
Luckily, alpha lipoic acid helps a lot here as it is a powerful liver protector. A doctor’s report shows that an emergency treatment using alpha lipoic acid has saved 2 lives, who might die from mushroom poisoning (liver toxicity). Apart from that, it is also reported a successful treatment for the serious liver disease hepatitis C that uses alpha lipoic acid, selenium and milk thistle.
In fact, alpha lipoic acid is just one of the food supplements that promoted for overall health and protection, including healthy weight loss. Besides alpha lipoic acid, there are still lots of supplements that good for health and help in weight loss. For healthy weight loss purpose, please understand the correct weight loss concept as well as perform right exercise and have a well-balanced diet.
[...] reduce the risk of diabetes. According to the diabetes expect, vitamin E, similar function with alpha lipoic acid, can reduce glycosylation, one of the most destructive and aging effects of high blood sugar. [...]