David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

Learn to Love Lipoic Acid

8 Oct 2013 · 1 min

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1:03

In this brief segment, the speaker highlights alpha‑lipoic acid (ALA) as a noteworthy nutrient supplement. ALA is described as both fat‑soluble and water‑soluble, making it a versatile antioxidant. It also functions as a heavy‑metal chelator and stabilizes cell membranes, which are critical sites of cellular activity. The speaker provides a practical dosage range—typically 100 mg to 400 mg taken twice daily—and emphasizes the importance of consulting a healthcare provider to confirm appropriate dosing and to avoid potential interactions with medications or other supplements.

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Another key player in nutrient health aside from food is something called lipoic acid, alpha-lipoic acid. The reason we like it so much is because it's both a fat-soluble and a water-soluble antioxidant. It is a powerful heavy metal chelator, and these days we can certainly use that. And it's a membrane stabilizer. The membranes are the parts of the cell where really all the action takes place. So a dosage of alpha-lipoic acid can be anywhere from 100 milligrams twice a day, 200 milligrams twice a day, up to 300 or even 400 milligrams twice a day. That's not a high dosage. And again, with any of these recommendations, I think it's important to check with your healthcare provider to make sure that the dosage is appropriate for you. And that there is no interaction of your nutritional supplements with any medication that you may be taking.