Don't Take This Potent (But DAMAGING) Antioxidant — Transcript

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1. 0:00are you relying on antioxidant
2. 0:01supplements to protect your health
3. 0:03without realizing they might be doing
4. 0:04more harm than good as a primary care
5. 0:07doctor I've seen firsthand the damage
6. 0:09that antioxidant supplements like
7. 0:10alphalipoic acid can cause when they're
8. 0:12not used correctly while some people can
9. 0:14benefit from alphal lopo Acid it's
10. 0:16definitely not for everyone in this
11. 0:19video I'll explain what alphal lopar
12. 0:21acid is who should and shouldn't take it
13. 0:23and the health problems we risk if we
14. 0:25get this wrong here's why it can be
15. 0:27harmful more isn't always better imagine
16. 0:30your body as a busy City in the city
17. 0:32alphalipoic acid or ala is like the
18. 0:35city's janitor cleaning up free radical
19. 0:38the cellular waste that could otherwise
20. 0:40cause damage ala is naturally produced
21. 0:43in our bodies but it's also found in
22. 0:44foods like spinach broccoli and meats
23. 0:47its main job is to help convert glucose
24. 0:49into energy and neutralize harmful free
25. 0:51radicals in our cells but it doesn't
26. 0:53stop there ala can help regenerate other
27. 0:56antioxidants like vitamin c and e after
28. 0:59they've done their job that's why it's
29. 1:01often hailed as a super antioxidant but
30. 1:04here's where things get a bit
31. 1:05complicated the naturally occurring form
32. 1:07of alphal lopar acid is the r isomer
33. 1:10this is the active form that does all of
34. 1:11the heavy lifting and while our bodies
35. 1:13do produce ala it doesn't produce enough
36. 1:16to meet all of our needs especially if
37. 1:18we're undergoing serious stress like
38. 1:20dealing with a chronic illness and
39. 1:22that's where ala supplements come in
40. 1:24they're marketed as the answer to
41. 1:26boosting your antioxidant levels and to
42. 1:28support our health but before we rush to
43. 1:30the store let me ask you this would you
44. 1:33flood a city's streets with genitors if
45. 1:35there wasn't enough waste to clean up it
46. 1:37might sound like a good idea but it
47. 1:39could actually cause chaos and it's the
48. 1:41same for antioxidants more doesn't
49. 1:43always mean Better Health and here's why
50. 1:46imagine a tight rope Walker balancing on
51. 1:48a thin wire on one side you've got oxid
52. 1:50of stress a flood of free radicals that
53. 1:53can damage our cells and lead to chronic
54. 1:55diseases but on the other side there are
55. 1:57antioxidants like ala that neutralize
56. 1:59those free radicals the trick is to try
57. 2:01and maintain that balance too much oxid
58. 2:04of stress and you fall into disease but
59. 2:06if you overdo it with antioxidants you
60. 2:08can tip the balance the other way
61. 2:10disrupting the body's natural defenses
62. 2:12and potentially cause harm so who needs
63. 2:14a little help on that tight RPP let's
64. 2:17start with people who are dealing with
65. 2:18serious oxid of stress like those with
66. 2:21diabetes diabetes is like a storm that
67. 2:23wrecks havoc on the body and one of the
68. 2:25hardest hit areas is the nerves
69. 2:27particularly in the legs and feet this
70. 2:30damage is known as diabetic neuropathy
71. 2:32and it's caused by oxid of stress
72. 2:34running rampant like a wildfire out of
73. 2:36control and this is where alphal loparic
74. 2:38acid can step in as a firefighter one of
75. 2:41the most compelling pieces of evidence
76. 2:43for alphal loparic acid's Effectiveness
77. 2:45in treating diabetic neuropathy comes
78. 2:47from a 2006 randomized control trial
79. 2:50conducted over multiple centers in
80. 2:52Russia and Israel this study included
81. 2:55181 diabetic patients who were
82. 2:57experiencing painful nerve damage they
83. 2:59were divided into groups receiving
84. 3:01different doses of ala so one group
85. 3:04received 600 mg another group 1200 mg
86. 3:07another group 1,800 Mig while another
87. 3:10group received a placebo after 5 weeks
88. 3:13the group taking 600 mg of alphalipoic
89. 3:15accid reported a significant reduction
90. 3:17in their symptoms like stabbing pain
91. 3:19Burning Sensations and numbness compared
92. 3:22to the placebo group but and this is the
93. 3:24key the higher doses didn't show any
94. 3:26additional benefits but it did increase
95. 3:28the risk of side effects like nausea
96. 3:30vomiting and vertigo it's like trying to
97. 3:32douse a campfire with a fire hose we end
98. 3:35up causing more problems than we solve
99. 3:37and because of these findings along with
100. 3:38other subsequent studies the clinical
101. 3:40guidelines often suggest that diabetics
102. 3:42who are struggling with nerve pain might
103. 3:44consider a trial of 600 mg of
104. 3:47alphalipoic acid the idea is that
105. 3:49alphalipoic acid can help restore the
106. 3:51oxidant to antioxidant balance that has
107. 3:53been disrupted by high blood sugar
108. 3:55levels it's not a cure but it could be a
109. 3:57helpful tool in managing the damage but
110. 4:00ala is not a miracle worker it appears
111. 4:03to be less effective than the drug
112. 4:04prabin at reducing nerve pain a Canadian
113. 4:07study of 44 people with various types of
114. 4:10nerve pain found that while ala did
115. 4:12improve diabetic nerve pain pregabalin
116. 4:15was more effective and combining ala
117. 4:17with prabin didn't add any extra benefit
118. 4:20it's a bit like having two Cooks in the
119. 4:21kitchen sometimes more isn't better for
120. 4:24diabetics the eyes are another
121. 4:26Battleground in the fight against oxid
122. 4:28of stress over time high blood sugar
123. 4:30levels can damage the delicate blood
124. 4:32vessels in the eyes leading to vision
125. 4:34problems or blindness there's some
126. 4:36evidence that ala might help here too a
127. 4:39study found that daily supplementation
128. 4:40with 300 mg of ala over 3 months helped
129. 4:44maintain and even improve functional
130. 4:46Vision in people with diabetes but let's
131. 4:49not get ahead of ourselves these
132. 4:50findings are still preliminary and
133. 4:52longer term studies are needed to
134. 4:54confirm these benefits but what about
135. 4:56targeting the root cause and lowering
136. 4:58blood sugar levels themselves well
137. 5:00there's evidence suggesting that ala
138. 5:02might offer slight reductions in blood
139. 5:03sugar levels for instance a 2012 study
140. 5:06conducted on 38 patients with type 2
141. 5:08diabetes showed a trend towards lower
142. 5:11fasting blood sugar levels and hba1c
143. 5:13levels and those taking ala but here's
144. 5:16the thing the effect appears to be small
145. 5:18and frankly we've got better treatments
146. 5:20now for managing type 2 diabetes it's a
147. 5:23similar story for weight loss in a 2020
148. 5:25study of overweight adults who took 600
149. 5:27mg of R Alpha acid saw a small reduction
150. 5:31in their body mass index after 24 weeks
151. 5:34this was particularly notable for women
152. 5:36and obese participants but again like
153. 5:38the blood sugar effect the weight loss
154. 5:40benefits of ala if they're truly there
155. 5:43they're minimal at best so what about
156. 5:45for people battling metabolic syndrome
157. 5:47metabolic syndrome is a cluster of
158. 5:49conditions that increases the risk of
159. 5:51heart disease and diabetes from a study
160. 5:53published in the Journal of circulation
161. 5:55it showed that ala supplementation
162. 5:57improved endothelial function and and
163. 5:59reduced inflammatory markers in patients
164. 6:02with metabolic syndrome so this may
165. 6:04suggest that ala could help potentially
166. 6:06reduce the risk of cardiovascular events
167. 6:08in these patients but here's where it
168. 6:10gets a bit complicated not all of the
169. 6:12studies in this area agree a separate
170. 6:15study found no effect of ala on oxid of
171. 6:17stress or inflammation of old adults
172. 6:20with type 2 diabetes a lot more research
173. 6:23is needed before we can draw any firm
174. 6:25conclusions so what about for people
175. 6:27with mitochondrial disorders
176. 6:29mitochondria are the powerhouses of our
177. 6:31cells and if there's problems with our
178. 6:33mitochondria they release large amounts
179. 6:35of oxidant as such these patients are
180. 6:38often advised to try ala as a
181. 6:40mitochondrial cocktail of supplements
182. 6:42the idea here is since ala supports
183. 6:45mitochondrial function it may help to
184. 6:47manage the symptoms but and this is a
185. 6:49big but the clinical data is sparse so
186. 6:52while it's worth a try for some it's far
187. 6:54from a sure thing instead alphalipoic a
188. 6:57it has shown some promise in improving
189. 6:58sperm health in men with infertility
190. 7:00issues a 2020 metaanalysis which
191. 7:03included 133 participants across three
192. 7:06studies found significant improvements
193. 7:08in sperm parameters for men treated with
194. 7:11ala the exact mechanism by which ala
195. 7:14improves sperm Health isn't fully
196. 7:16understood but it's believed to be
197. 7:17related to the antioxidant Properties by
198. 7:20reducing oxid of stress in the testes
199. 7:22ala might protect sperm cells from
200. 7:24damage and improve their function these
201. 7:26findings are promising but we do need
202. 7:28more research to to determine the
203. 7:30optimal dose and duration of ala for
204. 7:32treatment of infertility finally ala's
205. 7:35ability to cross the blood brain barrier
206. 7:37has sparked interest in its potential as
207. 7:39a neuroprotective agent in animal models
208. 7:42ala has been shown to reduce oxid of
209. 7:44damage in the brain and improve
210. 7:46cognitive function for example one study
211. 7:48in mice with Alzheimer's disease found
212. 7:50that ala supplementation improved memory
213. 7:53and reduced oxid of stress markers in
214. 7:55the brain but translating these findings
215. 7:57to humans it's proven challenging a
216. 8:002-year randomized control trial in
217. 8:02humans found that ala supplements didn't
218. 8:04improve cognitive function or slow the
219. 8:07progression of dementia and here's
220. 8:08something even more concerning a
221. 8:10separate human study showed that an
222. 8:12antioxidant supplement cocktail which
223. 8:14included ala actually accelerated
224. 8:17cognitive decline compared to a placebo
225. 8:19this is a crucial lesson it's easy to
226. 8:21think that because Alzheimer's disease
227. 8:23involves oxid of stress antioxidant
228. 8:25supplements should protect the brain but
229. 8:28in this study the opposite was true the
230. 8:30supplements worsened brain performance
231. 8:32this is why we need to base our health
232. 8:34decisions from results from randomized
233. 8:36Human clinical trials rather than on
234. 8:38mechanisms alone but what about the rest
235. 8:41of us if we're healthy and active and
236. 8:43not dealing with chronic conditions
237. 8:45should we take alphalipoic acid and this
238. 8:47is where the story takes a darker turn
239. 8:49remember our tight rope Walker if you're
240. 8:51already a healthy person your body's
241. 8:53Natural Balance between oxidants and
242. 8:55antioxidants is probably right where it
243. 8:57needs to be but ala could tip the
244. 9:00balance too far instead of helping we
245. 9:02may actually be causing harm studies
246. 9:05including a Cochran review have shown
247. 9:07that some antioxidant supplements like
248. 9:09beta carotene vitamin E and high doses
249. 9:11of vitamin A can actually increase death
250. 9:13rates that's why I chose not to include
251. 9:15vitamin A or e in microv vitamin while
252. 9:18alphalipoic acid wasn't specifically
253. 9:20highlighted in the same cochrum review
254. 9:23it's in the same category of powerful
255. 9:24antioxidant supplements so the concern
256. 9:27is there it's like trying to fix a small
257. 9:29crack in the wall by knocking down the
258. 9:31whole wall you end up causing more
259. 9:33damage than you prevent and the story
260. 9:35gets even more concerning when we have a
261. 9:37look at animal studies in a mice study
262. 9:39researchers found that alphalipoic acid
263. 9:42while it did improve memory in aged mice
264. 9:44it also significantly shortened their
265. 9:46lifespan the study highlights the
266. 9:48potential risk of taking ala when it's
267. 9:50not truly needed moving back to human
268. 9:53research another reason to be cautious
269. 9:55is that powerful antioxidant supplements
270. 9:57can interfere with the benefits of EX
271. 9:59exercise when we exercise the body
272. 10:01naturally produces oxid of stress and
273. 10:03the shortterm oxid of stress signals to
274. 10:06ourselves to adapt leading to Stronger
275. 10:08muscles and better endurance but if we
276. 10:10flood the body with antioxidants like
277. 10:12ala we block these beneficial signals
278. 10:15it's like hitting the snooze button on
279. 10:16our alarm the body doesn't get the
280. 10:18wakeup call it needs to improve so
281. 10:20instead of boosting our health we might
282. 10:22actually be holding back our progress so
283. 10:25aside from those risks are there any
284. 10:27other side effects that we need to be
285. 10:28aware of well ala can cause side effects
286. 10:31like skin rash and nausea because it's
287. 10:33an acid it may also contribute to acid
288. 10:35reflux and cause a strong odor in the
289. 10:37urine because of the sulfur content but
290. 10:39after reviewing all of this information
291. 10:41and discussing it with your doctor if
292. 10:43you're still considering using
293. 10:44alphalipoic acid it's vital to consider
294. 10:47the form alphalipoic acid exists in two
295. 10:49forms or isomers and it's the r isomer
296. 10:52that's the version that's naturally
297. 10:54found in the body and in Foods it's also
298. 10:56the isomer responsible for most of the
299. 10:58benefits and risk
300. 10:59associated with alphal loparic acid so
301. 11:02if you're considering taking alphal
302. 11:04loparic acid it's crucial to choose a
303. 11:05supplement that contains the R isomer so
304. 11:08where does all of this leave us if
305. 11:10you're dealing with specific conditions
306. 11:12like diabetes or metabolic syndrome or
307. 11:14diabetic neuropathy alphalipoic acid
308. 11:17especially in the r Isom form might be
309. 11:19useful but for most healthy people the
310. 11:22risks outweigh the benefits more is not
311. 11:25always better we need to be precise in
312. 11:27how we manage the body's oxid of stress
313. 11:29and before we rush to buy a supplement
314. 11:31consider this alpha lopar acid it's
315. 11:33already found in foods like spinach
316. 11:35broccoli and meats so instead of
317. 11:37reaching for a pill why not focus on
318. 11:39eating a balanced nutrient-dense diet
319. 11:41that provides all of the alphal lopar
320. 11:43acid the body needs the bioavailability
321. 11:46of alphal lopar acid from food sources
322. 11:48is naturally optimized for the body when
323. 11:50we consume alphal lopar acid from our
324. 11:52diet our body can regulate its
325. 11:54absorption and utilization minimizing
326. 11:56the risk of an imbalance the natural
327. 11:58regulation is something that supplements
328. 12:00can't replicate which is why it's always
329. 12:02safer to get our nutrients from Whole
330. 12:04Foods wherever possible moreover Whole
331. 12:07Foods offer a complex Matrix of
332. 12:09nutrients fibers and bioactive compounds
333. 12:12that work together to support our health
334. 12:14the Synergy is something that isolated
335. 12:16supplements can't provide for example
336. 12:18spinach doesn't just contain alphalipoic
337. 12:20acid it's packed with other vitamins and
338. 12:22minerals as well as other antioxidants
339. 12:25that contribute to its health benefits
340. 12:27by focusing on a diet rich in these
341. 12:28Foods we're supporting our body's
342. 12:30Natural Balance without the risks
343. 12:32Associated from Mega doing supplements
344. 12:34and speaking of fiber check out the next
345. 12:36video here on the world's most
346. 12:38underrated supplement that virtually
347. 12:40everyone should take and a massive thank
348. 12:42you to all of the patreons supporting
349. 12:44the channel