Alpha-lipoic acid plays various important roles in the mitochondria. It works as a co-factor for several enzymes related to the metabolism of energy. It is produced naturally inside the body but you can also take it as a dietary supplement.
Taken in high doses as a supplement, alpha-lipoic acid is said to act as an antioxidant and to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce the symptoms of nerve damage in people with type 2 diabetes. It may also improve their circulation.
Apparently these claims have been tested clinically according to the makers of dietary supplements for alpha-lipoic acid but I have not been able to confirm these trials using Internet research.
Provided you know how to filter search results using common sense and a healthy dose of scepticism, Internet research can, in my opinion, be quite reliable. In fact, when my type 2 diabetes began worsening dramatically, I used research on the Internet to devise a diet that has enabled me to control my blood glucose levels without taking any medications.
In addition to my diabetes, I suffer from diabetic neuropathy to a minor degree. Though I have been able to put off the horrible outcomes of diabetes using the diet I devised, I have been unable to alleviate the symptoms of neuropathy in my feet.
I feel that my diet has prevented these symptoms from getting worse but it certainly has not reversed the condition. Thus I began experimenting with alpha-lipoic acid on myself in an effort to reduce the symptoms of neuropathy using the maximum recommended doses of alpha-lipoic acid.
The dosages recommended by the manufacturers of alpha-lipoic acid range from 600mg to 1200mg per day, and the word is that it takes at least six weeks before supplements at these dosage levels begin to reduce symptoms.
On the 15th June 2013 I began taking 1200mg a day (in three doses of 400mg each) of alpha-lipoic acid manufactured by Olimp Laboratories. I intended to continue taking this dosage until the recommended six weeks (42 days) were up.
In fact, I continued to take Alpha-lipoic Acid for 60 days. I did not find that it had any significant effect on my diabetic neuropathy symptoms.
I'm disappointed. After more than 8 weeks I have not noticed any significant improvement in my symptoms.
However it could be that, as the improvement came in very slowly, I did not notice it. So I intend to remain off alpha-lipoic acid for the next month or so and see whether my symptoms get any worse.
Paul D Kennedy is a type 2 diabetic. He used his skills as an international consultant and researcher to find a way to control his diabetes using diet alone. He stopped taking medications to control his blood glucose levels about five years ago. You can find out more from beating-diabetes.com or by contacting him at paul@beating-diabetes.com. His book Beating Diabetes is available for download from Amazon.
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