Scientists discovered the importance of alpha-lipoic acid in the 1950s, and recognized it as an antioxidant in 1988. The body needs alpha-lipoic acid to produce energy. It plays a crucial role in the energy-producing structures in cells. The body actually makes enough alpha-lipoic acid for this basic function. Alpha-lipoic acid acts as an antioxidant, however, only when there is an excess of it and it is in the "free" state in the cells. There is little free alpha-lipoic acid circulating in your body, unless you consume supplements or get it injected. Alpha-lipoic acid is a versatile antioxidant—it helps deactivate an unusually wide array of cell-damaging free radicals in many bodily systems.
Claims, purported benefits: Alpha-lipoic acid is said to prevent or treat many age-related diseases, from heart disease, and stroke to diabetes and Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as declines in energy, muscle strength, brain function, and immunity. Alpha-lipoic acid is also being studied for HIV disease and multiple sclerosis.
