Alpha Lipoic Sustain 300mg 120 tablets - sustained release alpha lipoic acid and biotin | Jarrow Formulas

Jarrow Formulas Alpha Lipoic Sustain 300mg 120 tablets  is a unique lipid and water soluble antioxidant that is a co-factor in energy production, helping to regulate glucose metabolism. ALA also promotes the synthesis of glutathione. Biotin is added for optimum ALA activity.

Alpha Lipoic Sustain 300 is available as a sustained release format so as to minimize gastric irritations and blood sugar fluctuations. Alpha Lipoic Acid is a disulfide molecule (containing two thiol groups). A thiol (or -SH) consists of a sulfur and a hydrogen atom. This unique anti-oxidant is both lipid- and water-soluble, a potent promoter of glutathione synthesis and a co-factor in energy production, helping to regulate glucose metabolism. Jarrow Formulas Alpha Lipoic Acid is made in Europe. Biotin is added for optimum ALA activity.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is the most abundant anti-oxidant produced in the liver, which serves as a liver detoxifying agent combined with N-Acetyl Cysteine to cleanse the liver by increasing Glutathione production in the liver . 

important
It is frequently stated that that the R- form of alpha lipoic acid is better and more stable than the mixed form. These claims have NOT been verified by other studies other than the one present by marketeers of R-ALA supplements and the respective manufacturers of R-ALA. All of the peer reviewed studies done on ALA have been done with the mix form NOT the R-ALA form which is not stable enough during production.

key benefits
• helps to control blood sugar levels and lowers dependence on insulin
• reduces abdominal body fat in overweight men and women
• controls carb cravings
• safe to use for a prolonged period

background reading

What is Alpha Lipoic Acid?
Alpha lipoic acid (aka ALA, lipoate, thioctic acid, dihydrolipoic acid) is an antioxidant and co-factor in glycolysis. Glycolysis is the initial process in most of the body’s pathways to breakdown glucose into useful forms of energy. Though critical to oxygen utilizing life, ALA is not a vitamin because it can be synthesized from essential fatty acids and the amino acid L-cysteine. However, no food is rich enough to serve as a good source.

Chemically, ALA has two juxtaposed sulfur atoms. When oxidized, the two sulfurs bond together (disulfide form). When reduced to dihydro-lipoic acid, each sulfur atom attaches to hydrogen (thiol form). ALA’s antioxidant chemistry is similar to glutathione, another sulfur-containing molecule and the most abundant antioxidant inside cells.

The Universal Antioxidant
ALA is reduced to its active form, dihydrolipoic acid, inside cells as the body needs it and is able to do so. The enzyme responsible for this, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (LipHD), preferentially reduces the R-enantiomer of lipoic acid; this is why the R form is often considered the only biologically relevant form. However this may not be entirely accurate. Like vitamin C, ALA functions in water-based phases such as blood. However, like vitamin E, it also protects fatty tissues and membranes. ALA quenches free radicals— like hydroxyl, singlet-oxygen, and peroxynitrite—in both water and lipid phases, and protects against lipid peroxidation. It deactivates an unusually wide array of cell-damaging free radicals in many bodily systems.

Recycler Built for Two
ALA also enhances the potency of other antioxidants in both water- based (blood, cytosol) and lipid (membrane, blood fat) compartments. It recycles vitamin C directly and vitamin E indirectly in a unique and significant capacity, often preventing the symptoms of deficiency of these two critical vitamins.

Importantly, ALA increases glutathione levels in cells, in part by facilitating L-cysteine availability. It maintains the ratio of reduced-to- oxidized coenzyme Q10, which impacts mitochondrial health and energy production.

Blood Sugar Metabolism and Muscular Energy
Perhaps the most significant function of ALA is its important role in energy production from carbohydrates, participating in the multi-enzyme process on many levels. ALA stimulates insulin activity, reduces insulin resistance, and enhances glucose burning in obese laboratory animals. Humans with diabetes show a ~50% increase in glucose consumption. This also has implications for athletes and the overweight. Muscle activity requires efficient sugar metabolism. Similar improvements in sugar disposal occurred in brain tissue.

Alpha-lipoic acid is currently being studied for many age-related conditions, including heart and vascular health, sugar balance, neurological function, immune function, as well as fatigue and muscle strength. There is much protective promise in this powerful, broad- spectrum antioxidant.

Special Delivery Requirements—Maximum Benefits
Jarrow Formulas Alpha Lipoic Sustain® 300 is a bilayer Quick Release/Sustained Release ALA formulation. It maximizes blood levels while minimizing gastric irritation and blood sugar fluctuations. One- third of the ALA is releases rapidly and two-thirds releases slowly over time. This raises blood levels quickly while sustaining them. ALA does not accumulate in tissues, so it has no toxicity in suggested amounts. With wide distribution throughout the body, it is used in many ways. ALA finds particular utility in the eyes and brain, with neuroprotective and possibly cognitive-enhancing effects, especially in combination with acetyl-L-carnitine. It also has potential to reduce mercury retention.

Protection is highly dependent upon the dosing regimen. ALA is rapidly cleared from blood by the liver, so it is best supplemented in multiple, divided doses. Clinical studies typically employ 300 mg taken twice daily. Pharmaceutically designed Alpha Lipoic Sustain 300 keeps ALA in circulation for much longer periods than the usual tablet or capsule delivery. Sustained release may also help avoid stomach irritation experienced by sensitive individuals.

Note : Individuals who are diabetic, being treated for glucose control, pregnant or lactating should consult a health care professional before using this product.

The Importance of Biotin
Since biotin and ALA are similar, and transported by the same mechanism, elevated dietary ALA can interfere with biotin absorption and coenzyme functions. To protect against biotin deficiency, Alpha Lipoic Sustain 300 contains over 100% of the recommended daily allowance for biotin.