Alpha Lipoic Acid Supplements: Universal Antioxidants in a Bottle

Antioxidants are naturally found in and produced by our body. But health experts insist that women over 40 grab a bottle of alpha lipoic acid supplement. Here's the reason why.

Share

Alphalipoic acid is a vitamin-like chemical many experts consider as a potent antioxidant. A chemical produced and found in our body -- which essentially shows how great our body can be -- alphalipoic acid functions to break down the food we eat and convert it into something we, women over 40, need to be at our best: Energy. While it is primarily used for the management of diabetes, alpha lipoic acid supplements have been known to prevent certain types of cell damage in our body and recycles vitamin levels like vitamin C and vitamin E, therefore, making them serviceable again. But what makes ALA truly unique is that it is more effective in warding off free radicals than other antioxidants, working efficiently and fighting free radicals in both the watery and fatty parts of the cells.

Alpha Lipoic Acid and Anti Aging

Though alphalipoic acid is produced by the body, it only acts as an antioxidant when there is an excess of it. The body produces too little ALA, really not enough to fend off free radicals caused by the natural oxidation process in our body, environmental or external toxins, and other conditions like stress. And both internal and external attacks made to our cells can really overwhelm our whole body, making our natural free-radical defense system weak and unable to do its job. Free radicals moves and reproduces quickly, damaging and injuring the DNA, which creates the perfect hub for the seed of a disease to grow. And what is worse is that free radicals are industrious, they don’t only damage one molecule but it can actually set off a whole chain reaction.

You need to help your body fend off free radicals by taking alpha lipoic acid supplements. But why this antioxidant when you have so many to choose from? According to the UC Berkley Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements, alphalipoic acid is one of, if not, the most versatile antioxidants, which makes the process of deactivating various types of cell-damaging free radicals in our system relatively easy for our body.

Clinical studies show that ALA prevents cell and nerve damage caused by free-radical attacks. In fact, alphalipoic acid is used and approved in Germany to treat diabetes and its nerve-related symptoms, significantly reducing the numbness, burning, tingling sensation, and pain experienced in the arms and legs. Other uses of alphalipoic acid include the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome, memory loss, eye-related disorders like glaucoma and cataracts, and diseases of the blood vessels and the heart.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Recommended Dosage

ALA comes in tablets and capsules, in 50 to 300 milligrams. The recommended dose is 50 to 100 milligrams a day. For the treatment of type 2 diabetes, including, but not limited to, the treatment and management of symptoms, such as the burning pain and numbness in the arms and legs, the recommended dosage of ALA is 300 to 600 milligrams a day.

The effectiveness of alpha lipoic acid decreases with a meal. It is generally recommended that you take alpha lipoic acid supplements on an empty stomach, or at least an hour before or two hours after mealtime.

Side Effects

Alphalipoic acid is safe for most people. One possible side effects of ALA is a rash, especially when you take it by mouth. Expecting and breast-feeding moms, diabetics, thiamine deficient (or those who drink excessive amount of alcohol), and those with thyroid disease should consult with their doctors first before taking alpha lipoic acid supplements.

Interactions

ALA, which essentially has the same structure as biotin, has been shown to compete with the latter in terms of being transported across layers of cells.

If you are under medications for cancer or diabetes such as Amaryl, Micronase, DiaBeta, insulin, Actos, Avandia, Glucotrol, Diabinese, or Orinase, you may want to observe the effects of alpha lipoic acid to the efficacy of your meds.

Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg Supplements

When it comes to alpha lipoic acid, less is more. While there may be brands that offer alpha lipoic acid over 500 milligrams per tab, you may want to make sure that you stick to lower doses if you’re not being treated for diabetes or diabetic neuropathy. When taken as a general antioxidant support, you may want to look for alpha lipoic acid supplements offering 50 to 100 milligrams of alpha lipoic acids per tab.

Swanson Ultra Double-Strength R-Fraction Alpha Lipoic Acid

Supplement Facts

R-Fraction Alpha Lipoic Acid: 100 mg

Other ingredients: Rice flour, soybean oil, gelatin, and may contain one or both of the following: magnesium stearate, silica.

One of the most effective alpha lipoic acid supplements under the Swanson Health Products name, Swanson Ultra Double-Strength contains a stabilized form of R-ALA, a natural isomer that is said to be at least 3 times more effective than standard alpha lipoic acid. Compared to conventional ALA brands that contain a racemic (or 50-50) blend of synthetic ALA and R-LA, Swanson’s R-Fraction Alpha Lipoic Acid contains 100% pure R-ALA isomer, the natural, biologically-active form of ALA responsible for bringing in most of what alpha lipoic acid can do for our body.

Studies exploring the benefits of isolating the R-isomer, or the R-alpha lipoic acid, have shown that the antioxidant is highly effective in preventing neurodegenerative diseases by working against oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species. R-ALA has been also proven effective to recycle glutathione, which is considered as the body’s most important antioxidant, according to Alison Palkhivala of WebMD.com.

Source Naturals Alpha Lipoic Acid

Supplement Facts

Alpha Lipoic Acid: 100 mg

Other ingredients: Microcrystalline cellulose, gelatin (capsule), colloidal silicon dioxide, and magnesium stearate.

Source Naturals Alpha Lipoic Acid contains 100 milligrams of water- and fat-soluble alpha lipoic acids, which is perfect for women over 40 since they need their antioxidants to work more efficiently to combat free radicals. Water- and fat-soluble antioxidants work their way through the watery and fatty parts of the cell, protecting both layers from free-radical damage.

Source Naturals Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg is suitable for vegetarians as it is free from traces of yeast, dairy, egg, and gluten. It doesn’t contain soy, wheat, salt, sugar, starch, preservatives, fragrance, or flavoring.

Natrol Alpha Lipoic Acid

Supplement Facts

Alpha Lipoic Acid: 100 mg

Other ingredients: Rice flour, gelatin, water, magnesium stearate

Essentially functioning like the rest of the conventional ALA brands, Natrol Alpha Lipoic Acid contains 100 milligrams of alpha lipoic acid needed to produce enough energy for the body to perform its normal functions. But what’s great about Natrol Alpha Lipoic Acid is that the tabs are reasonably sized and coated for easy swallowing, which many women over 50 appreciate.

Natrol Alpha Lipoic Acid doesn’t contain yeast, wheat, corn, milk, egg, soy, glutens, artificial colors or flavors, added sugar, or preservatives. Only $7.99 (60 capsules) at Amazon.com

Phosphatidyl Serine: Supplement to Looking, Feeling, and Thinking Young

Phosphatidyl serine offers women over 40 things beyond imaginable: From looking young to feeling young to even thinking young. But how true can the claims be?

Share

You eat well, or at least try to. You listen to relaxing music, do your best to manage stress, get plenty of exercise, make time to make love, and rest when your body tells you that it wants to. Women over 40 know that such is the secret to good health. But let’s be honest: Not everything ends up as we have planned them: We live our lives on the edge of falling into stress, rush to fast food joints so we can grab something to eat, missed workouts, feel too tired for sack sessions, and, yes, we even get too little sleep these days. But we are always reminded that we, women over 40, shouldn’t beat ourselves up when we fall short of our goals; but neither should we be naïve of the consequences of our actions: heart disease, stroke, cancer, and osteoporosis.

We all have heard of it: Countless studies confirming the fact that disease can be managed and even prevented altogether just by sticking to a lifetime of healthy habits. But as we all know it, we can’t always be at our best. Good thing there are supplements for women over 40 that serve as an excellent backup system.

The Latest in Supplements for Women Over 40

Phosphatidylserine (or phosphatidyl Serine). Ring a bell? Don’t worry if it doesn’t. There are millions of women over 40 who haven’t heard of it either. In fact, I once remember someone saying that if she can’t spell it, she probably doesn’t need it. But experts who specialize in anti aging vitamins and supplements know that women over 40 just can’t afford to miss phosphatidyl serine. Though it really sounds like some shampoo ingredients you hardly care about, phosphatidylserine is actually brimming with promise. If there are over 30,000 published research papers supporting the power of phosphatidyl serine, then we think it also deserves your attention.

Why do you need it: Aging, stress, and the quality of one’s diet are just some of the factors that have been known to inhibit the body’s ability to produce adequate phosphatidylserine. Stress and aging essentially increase the body’s demand for phosphatidyl serine and hungrily deplete it at the same time. While our diet is expected to supply the rest of the nutrients that we need to function at our best, low-cholesterol and low-fat diet does undersupply our body as much as 250 mg of phosphatidyl serine every day.

What are its anti aging effects: Recommended by Dr. N.V. Perricone in his New York Times Bestseller Perricone Promise: Look Younger, Live Longer in Three Easy Steps, phosphatidylserine is a natural anti aging supplement clinically proven to sharpen mental performance, renew brain cells, rebuild and strengthen collagen protein, fortify blood vessels to improve blood circulation throughout the body, treat inflammations and edema, and help build a stronger immune system. Sounds like a total anti aging package? We think so, and so does everyone else who has supported the benefits of phosphatidyl serine in their study -- from Alternative Medicine Review (http://www.altmedrev.com/) to the most widely read and highly cited peer-viewed neurology journal, Neurology.

Dosing: Phosphatidyl serine comes in tablets and capsules, in 100 to 500 milligrams. The recommended dose is 100 milligrams a day. As a dietary supplement, women over 40 may take up to three 100 milligram capsule of phosphatidylserine a day.

Possible side effects: Phosphatidyl serine is possibly safe for most people, according to WebMD.com. However, using phosphatidylserine can cause side effects like stomach upset and even insomnia, and in particular when taken at doses over 300 mg.

Phosphatidyl serine is a natural supplement that can be taken by everyone, from grade schoolers to women over 50. But it is important that expecting and breast-feeding moms should consult with their doctors before taking phosphatidylserine.

Interactions: Talk to your doctor about your plans of taking phosphatidyl serine, especially if you are taking any of the following medications: Drying medications (Anticholinergic drugs), Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors like Exelon, Aricept, Cognex, and Reminyl,  and other various medications used for Alzheimer’s disease, and glaucoma.

Phosphatidyl serine Supplements

Source Naturals Phosphatidyl Serine Matrix™

Supplement Facts

Sharp-PS® PhosphatidylSerine Matrix™ Yielding: 500 mg

Phosphatidylserine: 100 mg

Their proprietary blend of phosphatidylcholine, glycolipids, and soybean oil contains 100mg of phosphatidylserine and 500 mg of Sharp-PS® PhosphatidylSerine Matrix™ Yielding. One of the most popular and well-reviewed phosphatidyl serine supplements, Source Naturals also uses a 400 mg of proprietary blend containing phosphatidylcholine, glycolipids, and soybean oil. Both phosphatidylcholine and glycolipids are carbohydrate containing lipids that play important roles in the signal transduction processes between cell membranes and tissues.

Then formulated with Leci-PS, Source Naturals now use Sharp-PS, a formula enriched with omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids known to prevent many diseases. Research shows that both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in skin and hair growth, maintaining bone health, regulating metabolism, development, and most importantly in brain function, making a must in the diet of women over 40. The healthy balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that can be found in Source Naturals make it the perfect phosphatidylserine supplement for American women whose diet favors omega-6, which is known to promote inflammation.

Vegetarians and vegans should also take note that Source Naturals Phosphatidyl Serine Matrix™ also contains gelatin, which can be sourced from beef or pork. Other ingredients include water and glycerin.

NatureStar® Memory Support Complex

Supplement Facts

Phosphatidylcholine: 35mg

Phosphatidylserine: 20mg

DHA: 100mg

EPA: 10mg

Other ingredients: Gelatin, Lecithin, Glycerin, Water

Formulated to be one of the most comprehensive blends of phospholipids and other neurotransmitter enhancing nutrients, NatureStar® Memory Support Complex contains phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, DHA, and EPA. Containing less than the recommended daily value of phosphatidylserine (each tab contains only 20 mg), NatureStar® contains 100 mg of DHA and 10 mg of EPA, two of the primary polyunsaturated fatty acids essential in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and in maintaining a healthy heart. When compared to the daily doses EPA and DHA are found to be effective, which is 220 mg and 200 mg, respectively, the polyunsaturated fatty acids content of NatureStar falls below what were deemed to be the recommended doses.

Jarrow PS+100

Supplement Facts

Phosphatidylserine: 100mg

Phosphatidic Acid: 100 mg

Other ingredients: Calcium phosphate, cellulose, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and gamma tocopherol. Capsule consists of gelatin.

Formulated with Cogni-PS®, Jarrow PS+100 claims to use a concentrated and more stabilized form of phosphatidylserine derived from soy phospholipids. Phosphatidic acid is now one of the emerging key phospholipids being studied because of its role in many biological processes, particularly in cell-to-cell communication affecting one’s cognition. The Cogni-PS® formula of Jarrow is essentially derived from soy phosphatidic acid, a substance that has been linked to improve mood and better response to physical, mental, and emotional stressor.

A study conducted on the effects of soy lecithin phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine complex (PAS) on psychological responses and mental stress reported that in order to be effective, each of those who participated in the research has to take 400 mg of PAS every day. While the suggested usage, as printed in the label, is to take up to 3 tabs per day, the amount of phosphatidylserine that your body will be absorbing per day still lags behind what has been found to be the effective dose of this essential supplement.

Look Young, Feel Young

All women over 40 have only one wish: To feel young and look young. And for me, there is really nothing wrong with that. After years of slaving at work, taking care of our children, and trying to b the best person for everyone – and I mean everyone – I am declaring 2010 as the “Year of Looking Young and Feeling Young”. And with the advancement in the field of skin care and nutrition, there are definitely tons of reasons why you can.

Anti-aging The New Age Style

Maybe you don’t have the zest of Jennifer Aniston or the skin of Maura Tierney, but all women over 40 agree on one thing: growing old doesn’t mean you should look old. Our generation is all about believing in this mantra: Faking it. And why should you just say it too? Because there are at least 39 million women out there who believe and live by it. Today, any woman over 40 doesn’t need to say surgery so she can look young; today is all about meaning, positivity, and redefining youthfulness. Feeling and looking young again shouldn’t be expensive: The meaning of being young again is all about defying limits, your physical boundary, and the extent of what you think not only about your age but who you are as a person.

Definitely More Good News

Today, women over 40 live way past menopause than their ancestors, notes Vivian Pinn of the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. It’s really not only about the supplements, surgery, and other invasive products why women today live longer and better; we have better chances of enjoying our lives because of the unprecedented opportunities in improving our health given our way, according to Pinn.

Science and your health

There are unprecedented number of facilities and experts that focus on improving women lives – and this is definitely one of the reasons why we should strive to live happy and better. From cures to breast cancer to prevention, women stand in the receiving end of all the hustle and bustle in labs and halls of science.

Free information, better health

Thank the internet for all the mind-boggling information thrown your way, notes Florence Haseltime, founder of Society for Women’s Health Research. From supplements to the really practical ways to look young again, the internet is one golden box of helpful information so women over 40 can just be the best they can be.

I encourage women who are in the perimenopause period to the baby boomers to just take advantage of all the information offered by the internet. When you are informed, you can make better decisions, informed decisions about your health and life. So google your way to better health.

There is 'alternative'

And, by that, we mean we want you to see the alternative. Today’s generation of women over 40 are more aware of the benefits of alternative medicine. In fact, at least 7 out 10 Americans who subscribe to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) every year. From natural supplements to breathing exercises, people of all backgrounds use and rely on CAM not only for faster recuperation but also healing, according to the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine in the December 2008 survey.

Studies show that women over 40 feel that they are freer, happier, more blessed, and just better now more than ever. Yes, they don’t have the same level of energy back in their 20s or the same drive to experiment on new bed moves just to please their partners, but hitting the big 4-0 has its own set of perks too. In fact all those years I have spent in research, I have only find that women over 40 are living happier, more fulfilling lives, notes Dr. Mary Guidon of Lawrenceville in New Jersey.

So discover what you want to do today. Find something that truly excites you, or better yet, rediscover that hobby to have wanted to do for so long. Because believe it or not, we, women over 40, are really going to be here for long.