6 replies to this topic

[kurt9]

ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) is a very powerful chelator of Mercury and Arsenic. It is the only known chelator of these metals that crosses the blood-brain barrier. As such, I would avoid taking ALA for anti-oxidant purposes. I would use it only for chelation, which must be done according to a strict schedule. It is possible that improper ALA use may in fact increase Mercury concentrations in the the brain (and Hypothalamus and Pituitary), which can cause other problems in the future.

[JohnDoe999]

ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) is a very powerful chelator of Mercury and Arsenic. It is the only known chelator of these metals that crosses the blood-brain barrier. As such, I would avoid taking ALA for anti-oxidant purposes. I would use it only for chelation, which must be done according to a strict schedule. It is possible that improper ALA use may in fact increase Mercury concentrations in the the brain (and Hypothalamus and Pituitary), which can cause other problems in the future.

1) What constitutes "improper ALA use" in mg per day?

2) Do you have any research shedding light on this?

Thanks

[MoodyBlue]

Yes, there is research on misuse of ALA. In fact CRLA (conrolled release lipoic acid) may be harmful. Here's a quote from a paper which had David Carlson, the Director of R&D at Geronova, as its author:

"If this theory is correct, and all of the existing evidence indicates it is, then high concentrations, rapid plasma clearance and metabolism of LA are essential for both the safety and the efficacy in vivo (Liu 2007). It further suggests that CRLA preparations may be more toxic due to their increased plasma MRT."

Using it too often might be a bad idea as well. Our bodies can only use so much and perhaps plasma clearance of it would be inefficient if we dosed too often. It does recycle itself, so there is not that much lost from our cells in a 24 hr. period. For the full article by David Carlson and others read here: http://www.relentles.../CRLA121007.pdf. As well, increasing the plasma 1/2 life of ALA leads to a trend toward oxidatively modified proteins. That's from an email I got from David Carlson. Here's a copy of part of it:

Thanks for the interest in pegylation. I don't think it is the answer to improving LA pharmacokinetics since I don't believe this is necessary. IV LA is more therapeutically beneficial than oral LA not because it is in the blood longer but due to higher concentrations. The T1/2 is the same for IV and oral LA. LA clears quickly from the plasma but can effect downstream signaling and gene expression for up to 48 hrs. It doesn't have to be constantly present to induce its beneficial effects. Please see my paper called "The case against controlled release LA" as some of the same arguments apply. A recent paper indicated that increasing the plasma 1/2 life of LA led to a trend toward oxidatively modified proteins. Longer is not necessarily better. The in vivo effects of LA is NOT as a direct antioxidant but rather it increases gene expression of antioxidant enzymes. These effects can be induced by a brief pulse of LA.

[Evolutionary]

I'm confused about ALA and would appreciate it if anyone could answer the following questions:

1. How probable is it for me to have heavy metal(mercury, arsenic, lead) toxicity that only causes cognitive dysfunction(slowed thinking) and fatigue, but no other symptoms?

2. Is hair mineral analysis or blood tests for heavy metals credible or not? If so, is it easy for one to get these tests done through a GP?

3. If I can't get the tests done due to them being too expensive or some other reason, what're the risks and benefits of taking ALA?

Thanks.

[MoodyBlue]

I'm confused about ALA and would appreciate it if anyone could answer the following questions:

1. How probable is it for me to have heavy metal(mercury, arsenic, lead) toxicity that only causes cognitive dysfunction(slowed thinking) and fatigue, but no other symptoms?

2. Is hair mineral analysis or blood tests for heavy metals credible or not? If so, is it easy for one to get these tests done through a GP?

3. If I can't get the tests done due to them being too expensive or some other reason, what're the risks and benefits of taking ALA?

Thanks.

I don't know anything about ALA and heavy metal chelation. But if you are concerned about the possiblity of excessive heavy metals in your body, you might want to try NDF by BioRay. I'd recommend using Bioray's Liver Life at the same time in order that the elimination pathways in the liver and kidneys do not get clogged up while detoxing. Methylation is also involved in the removal of heavy metals so take a good methyl donor like Betaine Anhydrous along with cofactors for methylation. I'd also recommend Inositol and IP-6 because they activate Phase I and Phase II elimination enzymes. In addition Bioflavenoids provoke the release of more detox enzymes because our body wants to get rid of the bioflavenoids. If you think you might have some degree of fattiness in your liver take Polyenylphosphatidylcholine PPC products like PhosChol 900 or Hepatopro. Here's a doctor's paper on PPC: http://www.mindandmu...98.

One other thing which is supposed to be a good chelator of heavy metals for elimination is Fulvic Acid. Read this: http://www.merc-buye...cAcidReport.htm. For me it worked best if I fasted for a few days while using it, and continuing to use it after I resumed eating.

[Raccoon]

I really don't like alpha lipoic acid....


It made me fell weak, sick and gave me an skin itch with daily dose of 300mg . It could paradoxicaly (to that what is belived) damage your liver, check this:

Free Radic Biol Med. 2009 Oct 15;47(8):1147-53. Epub 2009 Jul 17.


Alpha-lipoic acid induces elevated S-adenosylhomocysteine and depletes S-adenosylmethionine.
Stabler SP, Sekhar J, Allen RH, O'Neill HC, White CW.

Department of Medicine and Division of Hematology, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Sally.Stabler@ucdenver.edu


Abstract
Lipoic acid is a disulfhydryl-containing compound used in clinical medicine and in experimental models as an antioxidant. We developed a stable isotope dilution capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry assay for lipoic acid. We assayed a panel of the metabolites of transmethylation and transsulfuration 30 min after injecting 100 mg/kg lipoic acid in a rat model. Lipoic acid values rose 1000-fold in serum and 10-fold in liver. A methylated metabolite of lipoic acid was also detected but not quantitated. Lipoic acid injection caused a massive increase in serum S-adenosylhomocysteine and marked depletion of liver S-adenosylmethionine. Serum total cysteine was depleted but liver cysteine and glutathione were maintained. Serum total homocysteine doubled, with increases also in cystathionine, N,N-dimethylglycine, and alpha-aminobutyric acid. In contrast, after injection of 2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid, serum total cysteine and homocysteine were markedly depleted and there were no effects on serum S-adenosylmethionine or S-adenosylhomocysteine. We conclude that large doses of lipoic acid displace sulfhydryls from binding sites, resulting in depletion of serum cysteine, but also pose a methylation burden with severe depletion of liver S-adenosylmethionine and massive release of S-adenosylhomocysteine. These changes may have previously unrecognized deleterious effects that should be investigated in both human disease and experimental models.

Edited by Raccoon, 15 October 2010 - 03:54 PM.

[chrono]

ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) is a very powerful chelator of Mercury and Arsenic. It is the only known chelator of these metals that crosses the blood-brain barrier. As such, I would avoid taking ALA for anti-oxidant purposes. I would use it only for chelation, which must be done according to a strict schedule. It is possible that improper ALA use may in fact increase Mercury concentrations in the the brain (and Hypothalamus and Pituitary), which can cause other problems in the future.

Most of what you've presented here is based on the work of Andy Cutler, which is based on one or two soviet papers from the mid-20th century and a lot of testimonials on his mailing list. Though it may work as described, I don't think there's enough evidence to speak with this much certainty about its mechanisms.

This is probably good advice if someone suspects they have high levels of mercury in their body, but perhaps not as a general warning. Though I'm certainly not advocating the usage of ALA, as the CR studies seem to suggest long-lasting epigenetic modification that I'm not quite comfortable with, in addition to a few other concerns that have been brought up here.