R-Lipoic Acid

Description

R-Lipoic acid is the form best utilized by the body, bound to sodium, providing it in its most stable absorbable form.

Studies indicate that supplements containing only R form appear to be better absorbed than supplements containing both R- and S- forms, with results showing twice as much ALA appearing in the bloodstream after an oral dose of R-ALA.

1. Alpha-lipoic acid occurs naturally as a 50/50 mixture of R-ALA and S-ALA. R-lipoic acid by itself functions as an essential cofactor for many enzymes involved in energy production.
2. It also has characteristics, including significant antioxidant effects, that contribute to liver, brain, nerve and eye health.
3. Alpha-lipoic acid, also known as thioctic acid, was discovered in 1951 as a molecule that assists in acyl-group transfer and as a coenzyme in the Krebs Cycle. In the 1980s, the scientific community realized that alpha-lipoic acid is also a powerful antioxidant.
4. What sets ALA apart from other fatty acids is that it’s an antioxidant in both fat- and water-soluble environments and it’s also an antioxidant in both its oxidized and reduced forms.
5. ALA also increases intracellular glutathione and CoQ10 levels.
6. Promotes normal protein glycosylation and inhibiting the enzyme aldose reductase, which in turn inhibits conversion of glucose to sorbitol.