| Alpha lipoic acid—the universal antioxidant
Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant used in Europe to promote liver and nerve health, and confer protective benefits against oxidative processes. Alpha lipoic acid has been called the "universal" antioxidant because it boosts glutathione levels in cells and has potent antioxidant actions in of itself.* Research in the past decade has strongly implicated cellular oxidative damage caused by free radicals as a cause of many degenerative disorders. What makes alpha lipoic acid so effective as an antioxidant is that it works on both water and fat-soluble free radicals, which are the cause of damaging oxidative processes. Alpha lipoic acid also plays a critical role in energy production within the cells’ mitochondria.* Besides boosting glutathione levels in cells, alpha lipoic acid has potent antioxidant action in almost all the tissues of the body, and is a co-factor for some of the key enzymes (alpha keto acid dehydrogenases) involved in generating energy from food and oxygen in mitochondria.*
One of the most unique and important qualities of alpha lipoic acid is its ability to quench free radicals in both aqueous and lipid environments. This means that the antioxidant activity of alpha lipoic acid is working in the extracellular fluid and also within the cell. It also has metal chelating ability, helping the body rid itself of accumulated ingested toxins.* One of the most beneficial effects of alpha lipoic acid is its ability to regenerate other essential antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10, and glutathione. The evidence is especially strong for the ability of DHLA (dihydrolipoic acid—a reduced form of alpha lipoic acid) to recycle vitamin E. This is apparently achieved directly by quenching tocopherol radicals or indirectly by reducing vitamin C or increasing the levels of ubiquinol (a derivative of CoQ10) and glutathione, that, in turn, help to regenerate tissue levels of vitamin E.* In clinical studies to date with alpha lipoic acid, there have been no reported serious adverse side effects, even at the high doses. Among the mild, reversible side effects found in some patients have been allergic skin reactions and possible hypoglycemia in diabetics. The importance of purity
The Chinese are inundating supplement makers in the United States with very low cost ingredients. The purity of these ingredients often fails to meet Life Extension’s standards. For instance, Life Extension was offered a low-cost alpha lipoic acid ingredient made in China that assayed out at 95% purity. The European pharmaceutical standard, however, is 99.99%. Life Extension restricts its purchases of alpha lipoic acid only to European manufacturers. While these pharmaceutical-grade suppliers are more expensive, they provide more of the active ingredient and are safer for the consumer to use because they do not contain impurities. Pharmaceutical-quality alpha lipoic acid
The Life Extension Buyers Club imports expensive pharmaceutical-grade alpha lipoic acid from Europe, but offers it to Foundation members at very low prices. Each capsule of Super Alpha Lipoic Acid contains 250 mg of alpha lipoic acid and 2500 mcg of biotin. When taking high doses of alpha lipoic acid, it is important to also take biotin. That is because alpha lipoic acid can compete with biotin and interfere with its activity in the body. Therefore, additional biotin should be taken when the daily intake of alpha lipoic acid exceeds 100 mg. | 
