Alpha lipoic acid

[HIV? poz about being neg]

How much Alpha lipoic acid should be taken in people with HIV, 1200mg a day is that enough?

[J.R.E.]

I take the Alpha lipoic acid, and the Acetyl-L-Carnitine, in a single pill, twice a day.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine-----500mgs

Alpha lipioc acid-------150mgs


So, taken twice a day ----1000 mgs of ALC, and 300mgs of ALA (per day)

Ray

[risred1]

From the newyorkbuyersclub.org supp search engine: http://www.newyorkbuyersclub.org/resources/all-about-supplements/index.html

 NAME:     Alpha-lipoic Acid (Also called thioctic acid)
DESCRIPTION:    

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a fatty acid and antioxidant. Recommended for liver protection.
FUNCTION:    Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is used to protect the liver, treat peripheral neuropathy, treat lipodystrophy, slow HIV replication, and to prevent or treat HIV-related dementia.

Alpha-lipoic acid is very important in several ways. It easily crosses cell membranes and works as an antioxidant in both lipid (fatty) and aqueous (watery) parts of the body. It can counter many different forms of oxidative stress and prevent the cellular damage they might cause.

Alpha-lipoic acid both directly reduces oxidative stress in the body and indirectly spares, recycles or regenerates the other major antioxidants.

It is an important component of protocols aimed at preventing mitochondrial dysfunction and all the problems it can cause, including neuropathy, myopathy, bone marrow suppression (and resulting decreases in red and white blood cells and platelets), pancreatitis, fatty liver, lactic acidosis, and fat loss (lipoatrophy).

One of alpha-lipoic acid’s other very important uses is as a liver protective agent. It is very important to the liver cell metabolic pathways (the pathways used when the liver performs its important functions, including the breakdown and processing of toxins) and can be rapidly depleted when the liver is under stress. Since both HIV and hepatitis C induce glutathione deficiency, and that deficiency can allow the liver to become damaged by oxidative stress, alpha-lipoic acid’s effectiveness in raising cellular glutathione levels is probably very important for liver protection and repair. Its ability to help protect the liver’s mitochondria may be very important to help prevent the development of a fatty liver.

Alpha-lipoic acid has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and help reduce blood sugar in non-people with HIV with Type 2 diabetes and, thus, might also be considered as a possibly useful agent for those with blood sugar problems.

Alpha-lipoic acid may also be useful for cognitive dysfunction in HIV disease. Tissues of the central nervous system are known to be particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress because of their high rate of oxygen consumption and high mitochondrial density. The mitochondria produce lots of free radicals during normal oxidative metabolism and, especially without sufficient antioxidant protection, the mitochondrial tissue may be damaged. It is believed that this sort of oxidative stress damage may be partially responsible for neurodegenerative diseases. In animal studies, alpha-lipoic acid has been shown to improve memory, apparently by reversing the damage that had been induced by oxidative stress in the brain.


DOSAGE:    Note: a time-released form is very important because alpha-lipoic acid has a very short half-life (the time that it takes for half the substance to disappear) in the bloodstream. By using products that release the alpha-lipoic acid gradually over time, you increase the total time that the nutrient will be available and working in the body.

Some PWHIV take 300 – 600 mg per day if attempting to correct high liver enzyme levels. Others take 300 – 400 per day if using high-dose garlic and are liver-impaired. PWHIV also take 200 – 300 per day if not liver impaired, but protecting from the ill effects of high-dose prophylactic drugs. Finally, many PWHIV take 300 – 400 per day for a high-dose multifactorial antioxidant protection which helps to recycle other antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C/vitamin E) which many are using. Many also use the supplement to prevent or manage neuropathy.
DATA:    One small study (10 people with HIV with advanced disease) showed a combination of effects from supplementation with alpha-lipoic acid including increases in CD4 cells, increases in blood levels of vitamin C and glutathione, and decreases in the body compounds that result from oxidative stress (thus showing that it was indeed working well as an antioxidant).

Several other studies have pointed to ALA's positive effects in treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy (details of these studies on Dr. Jon Kaiser's site).

Although most of the HIV community has focused in the past on N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) as a way to raise glutathione, research carried out by Dr. Lester Packer at the University of California at Berkeley has shown that alpha-lipoic acid may be the best way to raise glutathione levels in people with HIV, thus providing protection against oxidative stress and disease progression.

Both test-tube and human research has shown the potential for alpha-lipoic acid to possibly serve as an antiretroviral agent. In the test tube, it has been shown to inhibit replication of HIV in both acutely and chronically infected cells, and to have synergistic effects when combined with AZT. Test tube research done at Kumamoto University in Japan has shown that alpha-lipoic acid significantly depresses both HIV tat gene activity and HIV infectivity. German test-tube research confirmed these findings, and follow-up human studies by the same researchers showed that it does have antiretroviral effects in people with HIV, reducing viral loads.

Test-tube research done in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, has shown that alpha-lipoic acid inhibits NF-kappa B activity. Since NF-kappa B is, in essence, an "on-off switch" for the activation of HIV and tat inhibition is considered a promising antiretroviral approach (and of course anything non-toxic that effectively suppresses viral replication and reduces infectivity is immensely desirable), research on alpha lipoic acid’s potential usefulness in this regard should certainly continue.
CAUTIONS:    There have been virtualy no side effects reported related to ALA supplementation.

Alpha-lipoic acid may reduce the amount of minerals in the body through a process called chelation; therefore it is best taken with a good multivitamin.

PWHIV should let their doctor know that they are taking this supplement. Some may be able to tolerate higher doses of liver-toxic drugs than would normally be the case. Never stop suddenly while continuing to take pharmaceutical agents without closely monitoring your liver enzyme levels.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION:    Lyn Patrick, ND (Doctor of Naturopathy), in Alternative Medicine Review, offers a comprehensive and well-documented overview of the use of several supplements in "Nutrients and HIV: Part Three – N-Acetylcysteine, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, L-Glutamine, and L-Carnitine"
   
RELATED
PRODUCTS:    Alpha Lipoic Acid (NYBC) Each bottle 180 capsules. Each capsule, 100 mg of high-grade alpha lipoic acid.
PRODUCT NOTES:    An indispensable agent for anyone who uses long-term prophylactic drugs in order to protect against liver damage, and one of the New York Buyers' Club's best-selling suplements.
DISCLAIMER:    These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[HIV? poz about being neg]

Thank you.

[risred1]

I take 600 mg in a time release formula called Thiol NAC, which has NAC and Alpha Lopaic Acid with MSM available from newyorkbuyersclub.org.