The Anti-Aging Secrets of Alpha Lipoic Acid

Aging. Degenerative disease. People make millions (billions) every day playing to fears about aging and market faddish "anti-aging" products.

Supplement fanatics (our members most certainly included) are typically anti-aging fanatics as well. I often recall Scott Ferguson's comment about his supplement cabinet being his "fountain of youth." :-)

And, with my 47th birthday fast approaching (September 21st), I'm more and more interested in "anti-aging" myself.

At the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI), they study micronutrients for optimum health and the effects of micronutrients on aging processes and degenerative disease. In a May 2007, at the LPI "Diet and Optimum Health Conference," LPI researcher and Oregon State University associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, Tory Hagen was quoted as saying:

"Our studies have shown that mice supplemented with lipoic acid have a cognitive ability, behavior, and genetic expression of almost 100 detoxification and antioxidant genes that are comparable to that of young animals. They aren't just living longer, they are living better -- and that's the goal we're after. We never really expected such a surprising range of benefits from one compound.""

Alpha lipoic acid promotes health (and anti-aging) in two primary ways:

• It restores healthy cell signaling (lipoic acid essentially "kick starts" declining function in cells)


• It improves glutathione levels (glutathione is responsible for protecting against cellular damage from free radicals and inflammation while also detoxifying heavy metals and toxins from the body

I've taken Alpha Lipoic Acid for the last few years, and I have found that I need to take it with meals to prevent an uncomfortable acid feeling in my stomach.

For reference, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends 200-400 mg of alpha lipoic acid daily, with 600 mg daily for diabetic neuropathy. Our product contains 300mg.