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Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 1:24 am
by MSUK
Results from a "highly promising pilot study" presented at the 68th annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in Canada have shown Lipoic acid is safe, well tolerated, and offers neuroprotection in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS)....Read more - http://www.ms-uk.org/MSnews
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:02 am
by David1949
I have Primary Progressive MS, but I'm going to try this. It's available at Amazon at reasonable prices, many brands to choose from. I ordered one with the best reviews.
This is something I'm willing to try. What do I have to lose? I'll report back on the results.
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:26 am
by PointsNorth
Thanks David. I have used alpha lipoic acid in the past but only at standard doses of around 100mg. It sounds like 1200 mg was tolerated quite well.
PN
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 12:05 pm
by David1949
Hi PointsNorth
Did this have any effect for you?
I bought 600mg tablets. I'm going to start with one a day and then try two.
I have three rules for what I'm willing to try:
1. I won't try anything that might kill me or make me worse. (So cobra venom is out.)
2. There has to be a reason for thinking it might work. In this case the referenced article seems to suggest that it is helpful.
3. It can't be too expensive. And this certainly isn't.
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 3:18 pm
by MStranslate
Hi David and PointsNorth,
Just to let you know, I conducted an interview the other day with Dr Rebecca Spain - the researcher who is presenting the findings about her research into lipoic acid at the AAN conference. It will be published over the next few days, I'm sure you will find it interesting - we discussed what the research has shown, how they think it is working and what the future steps are for the research. It might help answer some of the questions that you have.
Thanks,
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:55 pm
by PointsNorth
I ordered some and hopefully I will start it this weekend. The capsules I have ordered our 600 mg each. I will take two per day. I will Watch for the AAN piece this week.
Thanks, PN
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 6:56 pm
by jackD
That Lipoic acid helps MSers has been known for a long time. I have posted a lot on this in the past.
The best version is R-Lipoic Acid. You need to take only 50% of the normal Alpha-Lipoic Acid amount to get the same effect. I take the LEF product. This link explains why R-Lipoic may be better. I think the S-Lipoic may "get in the way" of the good R-Lipoic Acid activity.
Alpha lipoic acid inhibits T cell migration into the spinal cord and suppresses and treats experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Marracci GH1, Jones RE, McKeon GP, Bourdette DN.
Oxidative injury may be important to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). We tested the antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in an experimental murine model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). ALA was administered to SJL mice 7 days after immunization with proteolipid protein (PLP) 139-151 peptide. Mice that received 5-100 mg/kg/day of ALA had dose-dependent reductions in their 10-Day Cumulative Disease Scores (10-Day CDS) by 23-100%. Minimal inflammation, demyelination and axonal loss occurred in the spinal cords (SC) of ALA-suppressed mice, and there was a marked reduction in CD3+ T cells and CD11b+ monocyte/macrophage cells within the SC. Mice treated with ALA (100 mg/kg/day) commencing on the first day of clinical EAE had a significant reduction in 10-Day CDS. SC of ALA-treated mice had reduced demyelination and axonal loss and a rapid reduction in CD3+ T cells.
In vitro, ALA and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid, inhibited the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in a dose-dependent fashion. ALA is highly effective at suppressing and treating EAE and does so by inhibiting T cell trafficking into the SC, perhaps by acting as a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor.
PMID: 12458042 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 11:41 pm
by NHE
jackD wrote:The best version is R-Lipoic Acid. You need to take only 50% of the normal Alpha-Lipoic Acid amount to get the same effect. I take the LEF product. This link explains why R-Lipoic may be better. I think the S-Lipoic may "get in the way" of the good R-Lipoic Acid activity.
I have contacted Dr Spain with the questions mentioned above and I will update you when I hear back.
Thanks,
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:37 am
by CureOrBust
jackD wrote:The best version is R-Lipoic Acid. You need to take only 50% of the normal Alpha-Lipoic Acid amount to get the same effect. I take the LEF product. This link explains why R-Lipoic may be better. I think the S-Lipoic may "get in the way" of the good R-Lipoic Acid activity.
I did some surfing today, and what I read actually presented Na-R-ALA as the better form of taking R-Alpha-Lipoic-Acid. I also looked at the doses used in the current studies for MS and they were 10x that of a common tablet, meaning it isn't cheap to mimic the study doses using the common tablets purchased on line. I did however find the following product if you are willing to purchase in bulk and encapsulate your own, and trust the source. I know nothing about this supplier. http://nootropicsdepot.com/r-lipoic-acid/
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 10:10 am
by PointsNorth
@CorB, you can buy 600 mg capsules cheaply. Look on Amazon. I intend on taking two per day.
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 3:21 pm
by CureOrBust
PointsNorth wrote:@CorB, you can buy 600 mg capsules cheaply. Look on Amazon. I intend on taking two per day.
I Did search on Amazon, and did not find any Na-R-ALA anywhere near as cheap as this bulk powder. Do you have a link?
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 10:40 pm
by NHE
CureOrBust wrote:
PointsNorth wrote:@CorB, you can buy 600 mg capsules cheaply. Look on Amazon. I intend on taking two per day.
I Did search on Amazon, and did not find any Na-R-ALA anywhere near as cheap as this bulk powder. Do you have a link?
Most likely, it's the racemic R/S form which is usually just labeled as alpha-lipoic acid.
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 6:35 am
by David1949
Did Dr. Spain ever say what type of Lipoic Acid was used in her study?
Re: Lipoic acid may provide ‘inexpensive’ MS treatment
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 8:25 am
by PointsNorth
After listening to her entire video I don't recall her ever saying what type was used.