ALA Orac+ - How it Works

Background

Why Aplpha-lipoic Acid?

A small molecule which is an essential portion of the active sites of enzymes controlling keto-acid oxidation. These key oxidations by α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH) and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) are done in close combination with vitamins B1 and B2; the products are sent to the Krebs cycle for further oxidation to CO2, spurring the biosynthesis of the energy polyphosphates, ATP and GTP. α-lipoic acid also a prime antioxidant, returning both vitamin E and coenzyme Q10 back to their effective, reduced states in a quick, reversible manner through reactions starting from dietary vitamin C and Hi-ORAC phytonutrients. In addition, α-lipoic acid reduces oxidized glutathione, the important intracellular antioxidant, to the functional form.

Why Do We Need Alpha-lipoic Acid?

We were capable of biosynthesizing enough α-lipoic acid for our needs when we were teenagers, but we lost this critical capability with age. By 40 years we have lost our α-lipoic acid synthetic ability; levels for adults with pathologies, including diabetes, exhibit drastic decreases². We receive small doses from diets high in meat, but a healthy, balanced diet is not adequate to remedy this acquired deficiency. In humans, α-lipoic acid can’t be synthesized from sulfur containing supplements like DMSO or MSM, but slowly from the amino acid methionine, which is often in short supply. α-lipoic acid is thus an acquired vitamin and best supplemented daily.

What Conditions Are Improved With Alpha-lipoic Acid?

Type 2 diabetes³; the most important effect of this nutrient is to reduce the symptoms of polyneuropathy⁴. Claims of successful stoppage of the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms have been made; the mechanisms of treatments for both neural pathologies may be related. Liver cirrhosis; claims have been made for rapid recovery⁵. α-lipoic acid has also been shown to nicely reduce the toxic effects of cadmium upon the liver⁶.

How Much Do I Need?

“Normal” adults require from 100 to 200 mg or more each day and many pathologies show clinical improvement when the amount is increased to 600 mg (or more) per day.

What Is ORAC?

This is the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of anti-oxidants. ORAC is a quantitative measure of how well ROS can be detoxified by forming inert biochemicals; the higher the ORAC value the better. ORAC is evaluated using controlled, reproducible laboratory tests and may be done on teas, fruit and vegetable extracts (phytochemicals), vitamins A, C, E as well as α-lipoic acid, Co Q10 and can even be run on serum, urine and mammalian tissues⁷. Clinical studies have shown that ORAC serum levels are significantly raised after eating meals high in fruits and vegetables⁸. Extracts high in ORAC have been found to significantly inhibit undesirable proliferation of a cultured human cell line⁹ and dietary habits high in ORAC may be partly responsible for the longevity of folks in eastern Asia.

References

1. Reid MB et al. (1992). Reactive oxygen in skeletal muscle. I. Intracellular oxidant kinetics and fatigue in vitro. Journal of Applied Physiology 73: 1797-1804, and Reactive oxygen in skeletal muscle. II. Extracellular release of free radicals. Ibid 1805-1809.
2. Shigeta Y, Hiraizumi G Wada M, Oji K and Yoshida T (1961). Study on the serum levels of thioctic acid in patients with various diseases. Journal of Vitaminology (Kyoto) 7: 48-52.
3. Konrad, T et al. (1999). α-Lipoic acid treatment decreases serum lactate and pyruvate concentrations and improves glucose effectiveness in lean and obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 22: 280-287.
4. Ziegler D (2004). Thioctic acid for patients with symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy: a critical review. Treatment & Endocrinology 3(3): 173-189.
5. Berkson, B (1999). A conservative triple antioxidant approach to the treatment of hepatitis C. Combination of α-lipoic acid (thioctic acid), silymarin and selenium: three case histories. Med. Klin. (Munich) 15: 84-89.
6. Muller L and Menzel H (1990). Studies on the efficacy of lipoate and dihydrolipoate in the alteration of cadmium2+ toxicity in isolated hepatocytes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1052(3): 386-391.
7. Cao G and Prior RL (1998). Comparison of different analytical methods for assessing total antioxidant capacity of human serum. Clinical Chemistry 44: 1309-1315.
8. Cao G et al. (1998). Serum antioxidant capacity is increased by consumption of strawberries, spinach, red wine or vitamin C in elderly women. Journal of Nutrition 128: 2383-2390.
9. Parry J et al., (2006). Chemical compositions, antioxidant capacities and antiproliferative activities of selected fruit seed flours. J. Agric. Food Chem. 54: 3773-3778.

Supplement Facts - ALA ORAC+

Quality Assurance Statement - Anabolic Laboratories

Founded in 1924, Anabolic Laboratories formulates and manufactures clinical nutrition products. Our expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing, patient programs, and clinician training sets the standard for health care professionals.

At Biossential Nutrition, we pride ourselves in offering the best products available to our customers. Offering the highest quality products & individual ingredients, as well as ensuring our products are effective & work as advertised, are the mains goals we strive to achieve with our product offerings.

Why We Recommend Anabolic Laboratories Nutritional Supplements

History

Anabolic Laboratories was founded as a nutritional products company in 1924 and became a pharmaceutical manufacturer in 1940. Anabolic Laboratories is one of the oldest manufacturers of nutritional products in the world.

Standards

As a pharmaceutical manufacturing operation, the standards used for raw materials, production and finished product testing exceed the new requirements for nutritional product manufacturing.

Quality

Pharmaceutical standards of manufacturing provide nutritional products with label accuracy, potency and purity as dictated by the USFDA (United States Food & Drug Administration).

Formulas

A nutritional program and clinical formulas that are based on the specifications used in the scientific research.

The Need To Consider Quality:

Of the magnesium supplements tested by ConsumerLab.com, 25% failed to meet quality standards. One magnesium supplement contained only 45.4% of labeled amount, despite boasting a "GMP" (Good Manufacturing Practices) seal on its label, and another supplement provided only 28.8% of the labeled amount.
Reference: ConsumerLab.com, Magnesium Supplement Reviews and Quality Ratings, Posted 5/19/09

Tests by ConsumerLab.com have found multivitamins that were short on ingredients, failed to dissolve properly, or were contaminated with heavy metals.
ConsumerLab.com, New Product Review: Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplements, Posted 4/1/09

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that manufacturing problems have been associated with dietary supplements. Products been recalled because of microbiological, pesticide, and heavy metal contamination, and because they do not contain the dietary ingredients they are represented to contain, or they contain more or less than the amount of dietary ingredient claimed on the label.
Reference: June 22, 2007, FDA @ http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dscgmps7.html