Are You Ready?! Researchers announced they have identified the mechanism of action of lipoic acid, a remarkable compound that in animal experiments appears to slow down the process of aging, improve blood flow, enhance immune function and perform many other functions.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is a vitamin-like antioxidant that is produced naturally in the body. As a free radical scavenger, it is unique because it is both fat and water soluble. It is easily absorbed and transported across cell membranes offering protection (against free radicals) both inside and outside the cell. Other antioxidants only provide extra cellular protection.

“The evidence suggests that lipoic acid is actually a low-level stressor that turns on the basic cellular defenses of the body, including some of those that naturally decline with age,” said Tory Hagen, an LPI researcher and associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at OSU. “In particular, it tends to restore levels of glutathione, a protective antioxidant and detoxification compound, to those of a young animal. It also acts as a strong anti-inflammatory agent, which is relevant to many degenerative diseases.”

“Our studies have shown that mice supplemented with lipoic acid have a cognitive ability, behavior, and genetic expression of almost 100 detoxification and antioxidant genes that are comparable to that of young animals,” Hagen said. “They aren’t just living longer, they are living better — and that’s the goal we’re after.”

What the OSU researchers now believe is that the role of lipoic acid is not so much a direct one to benefit cells, but rather an indirect aid that “kick starts” declining function in cells and helps them recover the functions that came more easily and naturally in young animals.

In various effects, lipoic acid appears to help restore a cellular “signaling” process that tends to break down in older blood vessels. It reduces mitochondrial decay in cells, which is closely linked to the symptoms of aging. With age, Glutathione levels naturally decline, making older animals more susceptible to both free radicals and other environmental toxins – but, lipoic acid can restore Glutathione function to near normal. And the expression and function of other genes seems to come back to life.

“We never really expected such a surprising range of benefits from one compound,” Hagen said. “This is really unprecedented, and we’re pretty excited about it.”

This is exciting news and House of Nutrition has some incredible bargains right now on supplements.  Stop by and check out our low prices on Alpha lipoic Acid supplements:

Jarrow’s Formula – Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg is very popular.

But these are great too!

Country Life’s – Biochem Lipoic Acid 100mg

Food Science’s – Alpha Lipoic Acid 60Caps

Kal’s – Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg

Best Health,

-Jeanne Ricks, CHC, AADP

“It’s generally believed that having a nightcap may aid sleep, especially getting to sleep” says Seiji Nishino, Director of the Sleep & Circadian Neurobiology Lab at Stanford University School of Medicine. “This may be true for some people who have small amounts of alcohol intake. However, it should be noted that large amounts of alcohol intake interfere with sleep quality and the restorative role of sleep.”

This was no surprise – For a long time researchers have known that large amounts of alcohol shortens the length of time that it takes you to make that transition from full wakefulness to sleep (or Sleep Latency); increases your slow-wave sleep (SWS) and suppresses rapid eye movement (REM) during the first half of your sleep. During the second half of sleep, REM increases and sleep becomes shallower.

How do they know what happens? A study just released that was done on the acute effects of alcohol and the relationship between sleep and heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep, has shown that alcohol interferes with the restorative functions of sleep. Alcohol directly affects overall sleep architecture,” said Yohei Sagawa, a physician in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Akita University School of Medicine.

For this study, they gave 10 healthy, male university students with (average age of 21.6), 3 different alcohol beverages at 3 week intervals: 0g (control), 0.5g (low dose) or 1.0g (high dose). On the day of the experiment, a holter electrocardiogram was attached for a 24-hour period; the student was instructed to drink one of the 3 alcoholic beverages 100 minutes before going to bed; and polysomnography was then performed for 8 hours while they slept. The researchers were focused on the relationship between the students’ heart rate variability and their sleep.

The team found that alcohol increased heart rate and interfered with the restorative functions of sleep — and the more alcohol the participants drank, the greater the effect. “Although the first half of sleep after alcohol intake looks good on the EEG, the result of the assessment regarding the autonomic nervous system shows that drinking leads to insomnia rather than good sleep.”

The effect on habitual drinkers might be even worse, a study co-author said. “This study evaluated the effects on sleep after only a single dose of alcohol and easily found negative health consequences,” Seiji Nishino, said in an August 2011 news release. “Many people habitually drink alcohol and if the reduction of healthy parasympathetic nervous system activity during sleep occurs routinely as the result of drinking, the negative health consequences may be much larger and could bring about various diseases.” It is reported that habitual drinkers with high blood pressure are often associated with reductions of parasympathetic nerve activities.”

Sagawa agreed. “Many alcoholics and habitual drinkers suffer from insomnia” and it’s been shown that “suppressed parasympathetic nerve activity is the result of alcohol drinking. Thus, it is concluded that suppressed parasympathetic nerve activity is associated with insomnia, which includes difficulty getting to sleep, early-morning awakening, lack of a sense of deep sleep and difficulty maintaining sleep.”

But don’t worry – skip the nightcap!  At House of Nutrition we’ve got some incredible sleep aids that won’t break the bank!

Solgar’s – Sweetest Dreams Gaia’s – Sound Sleep Liquid Phyto-Caps

Natrol’s – Sleep n’ Restore Enzymatic’s – Fatigued to Fantastic Revitalizing Sleep Formula

Not a “pill person” – prefer a liquid?  We’ve got you covered too! Check-out:

Herbs etc.’s (Alcohol Free) – Deep Sleep Bach’s – Rescue Remedy Sleep

Michael’s – Sleeping Spray Herb Pharm’s – Relaxing Sleep Tonic Compound

And find many more sleep solutions here:  House of Nutrition – Sleep Aid

Best Health!

Jeanne Ricks, CHC, AADP