Does anyone have any information about Alpha Lipoic Acid? I had someone tell me that 600 mg is very beneficial to the brain and has been used for Alzheimer's, dementia and MS. I am looking for information. I googled it and saw some interesting info but would like some input.
Gerry, My DH has been taking alpha lipoic acid and a number of other supplements for around 8 years. We think this has helped his symptoms and slowed his decline. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State has done research on alpha lipoic acid. Below is the link.
Do you suppose there is a link between several suppliments that may make a big difference. The cocanut oil improved husbands signature and drawing quite significantly. Lizbeth, is there a certain area of the MMSE test your husband does best? Perhaps combining more than one suppliment will make a big overall difference, in the short term.
I think that is the intention of Dr. Shea's suppliment. It has a combination of several suppliments and can be safely taken with the present AD meds. I am very anxious to start on the test. He specifically commended me on giving and taking the fish oil.
Imohr, I will get a list of the supplements that DH takes. I'll post his list tonight. Most of them were recommended by my BIL's neurologist. Dr. Rachelle Doody at Baylor was studying these at the time at Baylor University. I am not sure what the research has determined on these supplements since then, but DH is not giving them up. DH started them while he had mild AD symptoms. Compared to the postings on this site and his own relatives with AD, DH seems to have maintained staying at the mild cognitive level longer.
Many age-dependent neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s appear to be associated with oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and/or lipids. The idea is to use antioxidants to prevent (or at least delay) the onset of such disorders, by minimizing the damage done to cells and their constituents in the brain. So this is a generic approach, rather than a targeted approach in which a drug is designed to interact specifically with a biomolecule associated with AD (such as an antibody that binds to Abeta.)
Certainly, there is a great deal of scientific evidence to support the use of antioxidants to ward off the development of AD, including studies on biomolecules, cell cultures, and animal models. Many compounds act as antioxidants, and many studies have shown that antioxidants can prevent or minimize oxidation damage to various biomolecules, and can exert a neuroprotective effect. The choice of antioxidants depends on where the antioxidants are naturally found, and what type(s) of biomolecules they have been shown to protect. Two general cellular compartments where antioxidant supplements may act are the cytosol and mitochondria. Antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin C act primarily at cytosolic sites, while coenzyme Q10 acts primarily on/in mitochondria.
However, there is a huge difference between using a micronutrient or drug to prevent or delay the onset of a disease, and using it to treat the disease once it is established.
So far, studies on the use of antioxidants to actually treat AD in humans are inconclusive. The Linus Pauling Institute website mentions a study that was done in Germany. It had a reasonable number of participants (43) and lasted a reasonable period of time (48 months), but was, unfortunately, open-label. Patients with moderate AD who were receiving conventional cholinesterase inhibitors were given 600mg alpha lipoic acid per day. There was no significant improvement in these patients, but the disease progressed extremely slowly. This was promising but, since the study was not double-blind, placebo control, not conclusive proof.
Two other clinical trials, both of which were double-blind, placebo-controlled, wrapped up here in the U.S. about a year ago. In one, 74 patients were given either a combination of micronutrients (vitamin E 800 IU + vitamin C 200 mg + alpha lipoic acid 600 mg/day), or coenzyme Q (800mg 3 times per day), or placebo, for 16 weeks. The team studied biomarkers in cerebral spinal fluid associated with AD, neuronal damage, and oxidative stress. The protocol for the trial says that they also monitored cognitive performance. Part of the results were published in July. Neither treatment had any significant impact on biomarkers associated with Abeta or tau; so the supplements -- at the doses used -- did not appear to influence the AD processes in the brain enough to affect known biomarkers. F2-isoprostane concentrations are still being analyzed. The paper did not mention the effect on cognitive function as measured by ADCS-ADL or MMSE. (Of course, 16 weeks is not long enough to derive any meaningful info on whether the course of the disease was affected significantly.) Treatments were well-tolerated.
The Principal Investigator on this clinical trial is my husband's neuro, and we're scheduled to see him next month. I'll ask him for more info then.
The other study looked at the effect of a combination of fish oil and alpha lipoic acid given to patients with mild-moderate AD for one year. I haven't been able to find any information about the results. I have sent an email to the Principal Investigator, to see if she has any data she is willing to share.
While looking into lipoic acid, I tripped across a very recent paper on placebo effects in patients involved in clinical trials for novel treatments of neurological disorders. The full paper is not available for free online, so I have emailed the author to see if he'll send me a copy.
I continue giving husband 2 tsp cocanut oil a day along with his usual AD meds and a good fish oil and flaxseed oil. He has shown quite a bit of improvment in certain areas. He still cannot count backward and says he doesn't understand what I mean even when I coach him. But, he is more alert, less fog, talking more and making more sense but still occasionally says some weird things and acts like he can't believe he said that. Sleeping less during the day and when in the car points out colorful trees, etc. and also criticizes my driving.
Still a long way from being "normal self", but any temporary improvement is welcome. If anyone has med experiences with being able to count backwards I would be interested in suppliments being taken.
Thanks so much for all the information, Tom continues to take his aricept and namenda and we are putting the coconut oil in our oatmeal with wheat germ but want more information on other vitamins and supplements that may help. We both also take fish oil, multiple vitamins, C and calcium. Tom has been a little more active and not sleeping as much but we have had some concerns with some other things. I am making a Dr appointment for him tomorrow to discuss some of the new concerns.
I am not suggesting anyone start taking all of these supplements. It is pretty expensive.
I told my DH about the coconut oil discussion on this blog and read him the Tampa article. A short while later he came out with a Mounds bar and said he would take his coconut oil like that. :)
Tom went to vote and signed in by his first and middle name. During the confusion our neighbor who runs the polling station came over to help, they told her that Tom was not registered and they called him by the name he had given, she talked with him a minutes and got him to tell them his whole name but had she not been there it would have been bad. He is also trying to say one thing but something else comes out. He has insulted a few people lately and swears he did not say things. This is happening at work and home. He was also walking down the street leaf blowing leaves all over, he blew leaves from the street into the neighbors driveway. We have some great neighbors and they did not mind. We did go to the Dr today and they changed his anti depressant and are sending him to his neurologist.