What is alpha lipoic acid
Alpha lipoic acid is a compound that occurs naturally in the body and has pronounced antioxidant properties. It is produced, among other things, in the mitochondria of the cells, also known as the "power plants of the cells", where it is significantly involved in the conversion of nutrients into energy (1).
Unlike almost all other antioxidants, which are either only fat-soluble or only water-soluble, alpha lipoic acid is both fat-soluble and water-soluble and can therefore fully exert its protective effect against free radicals in all tissue types of the body.
What are the benefits of alpha lipoic acid for athletes?
For athletes and health-conscious people, alpha lipoic acid is very interesting for several reasons. Due to its pronounced antioxidant effect, alpha lipoic acid can effectively counteract the unavoidably greatly increased production of free radicals during intense physical exertion in the context of energy metabolism and thus protect the (muscle) cells and the genetic material of the body from damage by these free radicals.
In combination with the pronounced anti-inflammatory properties (3, 4, 5) of alpha lipoic acid, this can reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and noticeably speed up your recovery after exercise.
In addition, alpha lipoic acid can improve insulin sensitivity (6), which means that insulin can work better. This results in a better and faster transport of glucose, amino acids and other important nutrients (and supplements such as creatine) into the muscle cells, which can not only accelerate your recovery after training, but also increase your athletic performance.
What other health benefits does alpha lipoic acid have
Because alpha lipoic acid can lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity (8, 9, 10), it is especially popular with people who suffer from elevated blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, or diabetes.
Reducing blood glucose levels can also counteract severe blood glucose fluctuations that often result in cravings. Through this - and by reducing AMPK activity (18, 19) - alpha lipoic acid can support weight loss and dietary progress.
It is less well known that alpha lipoic acid can also counteract harmful long-term effects of diabetes such as nerve damage and damage to the eyes (11, 12, 13).
However, the nerve-protective effects of alpha lipoic acid are not limited to diabetic nerve damage, but studies have shown that it may also be helpful in the common carpal tunnel syndrome and some forms of polyneuropathy (14, 15).
In addition, alpha lipoic acid can reduce several risk factors for heart disease. These include a reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and promotion of blood vessel health (10, 16, 17).
Why is NA-R Alpha Lipoic Acid superior to regular Alpha Lipoic Acid supplements?
There are 3 different variants of alpha lipoic acid: the S variant, the R variant and the RS variant, which consists of 50% each of the S and the R variant. Most supplements on the market contain the S or the RS variant, both of which have a rather modest bioavailability compared to the pure R variant. To guarantee you maximum bioavailability and effect, we only use the R variant of alpha lipoic acid in NA-R-Alpha Lipoic Acid - and you probably wouldn't expect anything else from GN Laboratories.
