8310
ALPHA LIPOIC ACID FOR DIABETIC NEUROPATHY
Studies done in the last five years show that alpha lipoic acid may help to prevent and treat liver and nerve damage. Alpha-Lipoic acid is found in cells where it prevents damage caused by oxidation reactions. It may help to treat liver damage caused by poisoning from alcohol, mushrooms, heavy metals and carbon tetrachloride (1) and nerve damage caused by diabetes (2,3,4, 5).
Some people take this chemical now, but there are too few studies to know whether this chemical is safe or effective in preventing long-term nerve or liver damage, and dosage has not been established. One study shows that 200 and 600 mg per day offer the same degree of protection from nerve damage, so it may be that the tissue takes in as much alpha lipoic acid as it can at 200 mg per day and more is not more effective. A German study reports that six months of lipoic acid causes vitamin B12 deficiency that can cause nerve damage (6). See report #D222.
1)Mitsui Y , Schmelzer JD , Zollman PJ , Mitsui M , Tritschler HJ , Low PA Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. J Neurol Sci 1999 Feb 1;163(1):11-6.
2)Borcea V , Nourooz-Zadeh J , Wolff SP , Klevesath M , Hofmann M , Urich H , Wahl P , Ziegler R , Tritschler H , Halliwell B , Nawroth PP .Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Heidelberg, Germany. Free Radic Biol Med 1999 Jun;26(11-12):1495-500.
3)Kishi Y , Schmelzer JD , Yao JK , Zollman PJ , Nickander KK , Tritschler HJ , Low PA .Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. Diabetes 1999 Oct;48(10):2045-51.
4) Diabetic neuropathy: clinical and experimental progress in its pathogenesis and treatment] Maeda K , Yasuda H Third Department of Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science. Nippon Rinsho 1999 Mar;57(3):578-83.
5) Future prevention and treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Tomlinson DR Department of Pharmacology, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, UK. d.tomlinson@qmw.ac.uk . Diabetes Metab 1998 Nov;24 Suppl 3():79-83.
6) M Siepmann, W Kirch. Decreases lipoic acid serum levels of vitamin B-12?. Aktuelle Neurologie, 2000, Vol 27, Iss 1, pp 33-35.
Checked 8/9/05