Lipoic Acid Side Effects - Anything to Worry About?

If you use alpha lipoic acid or ala as supplements, then you may need to consider lipoic acid side effects. If you don't know what alpha-lipoic acid is, ala is one of the fatty acids you will find inside all the cells of your body. This very necessary acid is what is used by your body to create energy for our body's needs. In its simplest terms, your body converts glucose or blood sugar into the energy that your body needs to function.

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Also, research shows that alpha lipoic acids is a powerful antioxidant which can neutralize something called free radicals in your body as well. Why is this important and what may be lipoic acid side effects? Naturally, there are very few side effects. When taking alpha lipoic acid, it may be a different story. The real power of any antioxidant that occurs naturally within the body or through a health supplement is the reduction of free radicals, as mentioned just a moment back.

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Free radicals are unbalanced molecules in your body that are lacking electrons. Clinical studies have shown that the body's ability to fit oxidative stress (which leads to free radical damage) reduces with age and exposure to outside toxins that are ingested into the body. What makes alpha lipoic acid unique is that it does function in water and fat, where more common and well known antioxidants, such as vitamin E or C cannot function?

Now, a benefit of alpha lipoic acids is that helps with individuals who suffer from diabetes where blood sugar levels or blood glucose is higher than normal. Ala helps to balance this out.

Some lipoic acid side effects are the possibility of pain in the stomach or back pain that is caused by an upset stomach. High doses can even lead to lower blood sugar levels. These are extreme cases when taken in an oral fashion as alpha lipoic acid side effects are almost none existent. Diabetic patients should consult with their physician before considering any treatment as ala may influence your insulin dosage and lead to other disease.

This is quite possibly the body's "universal" antioxidant. Actually your body requires ala as it plays a very important role in the mitochondria or the 'blueprint' of your cells when they copy themselves. Foods will only contain very small amounts of ala. As you age, your body's natural ability to make this acid does reduce. So, as your body reduces its natural levels, your body loses its ability to properly clone your cells in your body. Studies have also shown that by the time you turn 95, 5% of your mitochondrial DNA remain unchanged.

ALA also works well with vitamin C and E and some other antioxidants thus recycling them and thus making them much more effective. So, needless to say, supplementation can become vitally important as we age. We could literally say what are the lipoic acid side effects when the body looses much of its naturally ability to produce ala? Pretty dramatic.

Ala may not get to our blood stream, where it needs to go. This is due to the extremely efficient manner that our digestive system breaks down everything we ingest. Vitamin and mineral supplementation will typically have a bioavailability of 10 to 30 percent in the small intestine. This means that more than 70% of the ala you ingest is lost before it can be put to work.

The real trick then is not side effects alpha lipoic acid may produce, but actually getting them within the blood stream in the first place. As always consult with your physician before considering any supplement program.

Lipoic Acid Side Effects - Anything to Worry About?

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