Alpha lipoid acid, is it worth trying

san-777

Member
Messages
19
Hello hope all is well.

Its said this antioxidant can help reduce nerve damage, (nerve damage is one of the complications from diabetes.)

Wonder if it's worth trying? Has anyone's doctors mentioned it? Is it harmful for liver? Basically does anyone know about it?

Theres lots of info on internet, but I hope to avoid our experience with the magical cinnamon - loads of websites praise it for its property of glucos reduction, without mentioning that its also harmful for liver!

Any comment/discussion is welcome..
 

bobrobert

Well-Known Member
Messages
417
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello hope all is well.

Its said this antioxidant can help reduce nerve damage, (nerve damage is one of the complications from diabetes.)

Wonder if it's worth trying? Has anyone's doctors mentioned it? Is it harmful for liver? Basically does anyone know about it?

Theres lots of info on internet, but I hope to avoid our experience with the magical cinnamon - loads of websites praise it for its property of glucos reduction, without mentioning that its also harmful for liver!

Any comment/discussion is welcome..
Only certain types of cinnamon is harmful Do your research again
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,902
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
It is definitely worth doing your research as @bobrobert says, I use Ceylon cinnamon as opposed to Cassia cinnamon which can affect the liver because of the courmarin content.
As far as alpha lipoic acid is concerned, it is actually prescribed by Drs in Germany for neuropathy but again you need to pick the correct type. R ALA is apparently the best.
 

ianf0ster

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
2,428
Type of diabetes
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Diet only
Dislikes
exercise, phone calls
Hello hope all is well.

Its said this antioxidant can help reduce nerve damage, (nerve damage is one of the complications from diabetes.)

Wonder if it's worth trying? Has anyone's doctors mentioned it? Is it harmful for liver? Basically does anyone know about it?

Theres lots of info on internet, but I hope to avoid our experience with the magical cinnamon - loads of websites praise it for its property of glucos reduction, without mentioning that its also harmful for liver!

Any comment/discussion is welcome..
Do you have neuropathy?
I hear that it is used to treat that, but for BG reduction surely it makes more sense to first go to the source and cut carbs( if possible). Then if not happy with the results it may be worth trying other approaches.

T2D isn't caused by too little ALA, it is caused by too many carbs.
 
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san-777

Member
Messages
19
Do you have neuropathy?
I hear that it is used to treat that, but for BG reduction surely it makes more sense to first go to the source and cut carbs( if possible). Then if not happy with the results it may be worth trying other approaches.

T2D isn't caused by too little ALA, it is caused by too many carbs.

We're already doing self-testing/diet changes to control my husband's BG level. I'm looking into ALA because there are accounts that some diabetic patients have seen improvement in treating certain symptoms, hence i m very attempted to get my husband to try it.

I did look into food sources but I have a feeling the amount of ALA from eating meals will be no where near enough.
 
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san-777

Member
Messages
19
It is definitely worth doing your research as @bobrobert says, I use Ceylon cinnamon as opposed to Cassia cinnamon which can affect the liver because of the courmarin content.
As far as alpha lipoic acid is concerned, it is actually prescribed by Drs in Germany for neuropathy but again you need to pick the correct type. R ALA is apparently the best.

Thx! it's very reassuring to know this is actually prescribed by Drs.
 

finsit

Well-Known Member
Messages
331
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, i was going to post a new thread on R-Alpha Lipoic Acid experience. Then i found this one. So R ALA is highly recommended by Dr. Bernstein and in one of his vids he said he has been taking it for the last 12 years and he has seen improvement in neuropathy as well as postprandial BGs in his patients (not all but quite a few). He also said that he had to reduce his insulin intake by 1/3rd after starting R-ALA. He recommends taking it with Biotin because it depletes Biotin from the body (hair loss is a symptom of Biotin def).

Since my diagnosis I have been on low-carb and eating green leafy veggies and taking R-ALA. In my recent tests, my Potassium came higher levels 5.5, which is okay but it was always in 4.5 range. Since then i am reading a lot about it and it seems R-ALA could be the reason along with my excessive dietary potassium through veggies/avocados etc.

Here is a very interesting and detailed paper on it https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2011.00069/full very informative and will provide all the information you need.

I am seriously thinking of restarting it (stopped 10 days ago). I have no neuropathy though, but since yesterday i am feeling some numbness in my hands during sleep, which i used to feel when i was diagnosed. I am just trying to correlate it might be due to stopping R-ALA as that has been improving my nerves and antioxidation etc? Not sure, but i will see few more days and check how it affects overall. Any experiments will be helpful. My best bet would be to keep taking R-ALA and reducing other dietary Potassium to keep the balance. Any thoughts?

I am on no meds, Type-2 and took100 mg 2 tablets a day of R-ALA with 500 mg of Evening Primrose Oil (one tab in the evening)
 

jp619

Active Member
Messages
28
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hiya. I'm interested in trying ALA, as I've recently developed peripheral neuropathy. I have some, but turns out it's the S-type!

So, I need the R-type. Does anyone have any recommendations in the UK where to buy? And how much do I take?

Thanks in advance.
 

Z_e_u_s

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hiya. I'm interested in trying ALA, as I've recently developed peripheral neuropathy. I have some, but turns out it's the S-type!

So, I need the R-type. Does anyone have any recommendations in the UK where to buy? And how much do I take?

Thanks in advance.
I get mine from Amazon. It is 650mg and has 50/50 (R/S).

Since I read different things about R and S and discordant opinions, I went for a higher dosage (as most people see benefits with 300mg of the R type) which includes both type(650mg it is still a safe dosage).

Not sure whether I get benefits from the R or S type but what I take works for me ...Sadly I can't live without it ... and I tried!

I have tried a few brands but same dosage and I had same results.
 
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jp619

Active Member
Messages
28
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Thanks Zeus, that's great. If I can find anything that'll help, that's good with me! Can you tyell me how long it took to work?
 

Z_e_u_s

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks Zeus, that's great. If I can find anything that'll help, that's good with me! Can you tyell me how long it took to work?
For me it takes about a week to kick in.

You go from obsessing with the discomfort around your ankles (or whatever it affects you) from one day forgetting about it, which is when you realise it is actually working.

Bear in mind it varies from one person to the next; I read for some people it takes longer to feel benefits.

It doesn't completely go away (at least in my case) but it makes it so much more bearable that you can get on with your day (and nights!).
 

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
R-ALA is availablle 'on scrip' in europe. but UK finessed on it.