ALA, ALC & Benfotiamine: Super Antioxidants for Nerve Health By Dr. Allen S. Josephs
| ALA, ALC & Benfotiamine: Super Antioxidants for Nerve Health |
 By Dr. Allen S. Josephs |
 July 24, 2008 - Poor peripheral nerve function has become a major health concern to many individuals due to the almost epidemic rise in unhealthy blood sugar level across the nation. Recent studies have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of benfotiamine and other powerful antioxidants in helping to alleviate the effects of this escalating complication. |
Last week I saw one of my patients for a follow up visit. He was an older gentleman who experienced several years of poor peripheral nerve function. He came to me about six weeks earlier looking for any possible option that might help, at which time I recommended certain nutrients. Unfortunately, in traditional allopathic medicine, there are no curative agents when it comes to poor peripheral nerve function. However, there are several nutrients shown, both experimentally and in clinical trials, to benefit nerve health.
What surprised me when I saw this patient last week was that although he did not report any objective improvement in his symptoms, I actually saw some return of nerve function when I examined him. I was frankly blown away by the relative rapidity at which I had seen clinical improvement. Generally, poor peripheral nerve health occurs over many months to years and so, logically, if you were to give some nutritional supplement, you would think it would take that period of time to show some improvement. Not in this case, however.
The main nutrients I recommend to help with poor peripheral nerve function are alpha lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine. There is also another powerful nutrient called benfotiamine. In the May 2008 edition of the journal Experimental Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes, it was reported that researchers from Germany performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial1 in 165 patients with elevated blood sugar complicated by poor peripheral nerve function.
The groups were randomized into three supplement groups, with one-third getting 600 mg a day of benfotiamine (a special form of vitamin B1), one group getting 300 mg a day and the last group getting placebo. After six weeks of supplementation, those patients given the benfotiamine reported improvement in nerve health, especially the higher benefotiamine group. Supplementation was tolerated in all groups.
The authors suggested further studies to help confirm the positive experiences. Other studies with benfotiamine indicate that it may reduce AGEs by up to 40%. AGEs are formed as a result of elevated glucose cross linking with healthy cell proteins and causing damage to the cells and the body. As we age and as our blood sugar increases, these AGEs elevate and may lead to poor health. Alpha lipoic acid is another amazing nutrient that appears to help promote healthy aging for similar reasons.
In addition, there was a study2 published earlier this year in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in which the authors noted that based on efficacy and safety data, benfotiamine and alpha lipoic acid should be considered as first choices in patients with elevated blood sugar with poor peripheral function.
In the July 2008 edition of the International Journal of Cancer, researchers did an exhaustive review3 of the medical literature over the last 41 years regarding use of antioxidants to potentially reduce toxic side effects of chemo-therapy. There were a total of 33 studies that were randomized and placebo-controlled that they felt should be included in this review.
Multiple antioxidants were tested including glutathione, melatonin, vitamin A, an antioxidant mixture, N-acetyl cysteine, vitamin E, selenium, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10 and ellagic acid. 24 of the 33 studies reviewed reported decreased toxicity from the concurrent use of antioxidants with chemo-therapy. Nine studies reported no difference in toxicity. In only one study using vitamin A was there a report of significant increase in toxicity in the antioxidant group.
The authors noted this analysis provides systemically reviewed evidence that antioxidant supplementation during chemo-therapy holds potential for reducing dose limiting toxicity. They caution, however, that well designed studies evaluating larger populations of patients given specific antioxidants are warranted.
There was another terrific study4 that was recently published in the June 2008 edition of Cancer Epidemiology, BioMarkers and Prevention. A total of over 1,900 patients participated in this four-year randomized, multi-center study. Individuals were given high fiber diets (18 grams of fiber per 1000 calories), high fruit and high vegetable (five servings per day) and low fat (no more than 20% of total calories) to determine if this can inhibit the growth of polyps in the colon.
Researchers found that total flavonoid intake did not significantly reduce the risk of developing a recurrence of colon/rectal adenomas, although there was a 36% reduced rate of developing an advanced recurrence of colonic adenomas in those individuals with the highest flavonoid intake (over 106 mg a day) compared to those with the lowest flavonoid intake (less than 51 mg a day).
When the researchers looked at the specific flavonoids, those consuming higher amounts of flavonols and isoflavonoids, reduced their risk of developing colon polyps by 76% and 54% respectively. Products such as apples, beans, broccoli and onions are high in flavonols while isoflavonoids are typically found in higher concentrations in soy products and beans.
Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®) offers some incredible nutrients for promoting healthy peripheral nerve function. First and foremost, I recommend a combination of acetyl-L carnitine and alpha lipoic acid. I generally start my patients with a combination product of one capsule twice a day, providing a total of 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid and 1000 mg of acetyl-L carnitine. At times, I will double this dose. This product is not only good for promoting peripheral nerve function, but can also help with improving energy levels, helping to optimize healthy blood sugar, brain function and many more things.
Benfotiamine is another powerful nutrient. Just go online and read some of the wonderful reviews. NSI offers an incredible value of 240 capsules of benfotiamine (150 mg per capsule) for the cost of less than $25. Each capsule basically costs only about $.10. I recommend 2 to 4 capsules a day. You are talking about $.20 to $.40 daily to help optimize poor peripheral nerve function when you combine all three nutrients.
I also recommend coenzyme Q10 at 200 – 400 mg per day, a superior quality omega-3 fatty acid called NSI Mega EFA and, of course, a superior core multi-nutrient product as found in the NSI Synergy line. If you have not compared the new versions of Synergy to your current multi I would highly recommend you do it now. You will find Synergy contains effective levels of nutrients. Most multi-vitamins leave out or they have just trace amounts, such as lutein, standardized green tea, B-complex and coenzyme Q10.
1. Experimental Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes, Issue 05, Volume 115, May 2008.
2. Várkonyi T and Kempler P, Diabetic neuropathy: new strategies for treatment, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Volume 10, Issue 2, Date: February 2008, Pages: 99-108.
3. Block KI, Koch AC, Mead MN, Tothy PK, Newman RA, Gyllenhaal C, Impact of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapeutic toxicity: A systematic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials, International Journal of Cancer, Volume 123 Issue 6, Pages 1227 – 1239, Published Online: July 11, 2008.
4. Bobe G, Sansbury LB, Albert PS, Cross AJ, Kahle L, et.al, Dietary Flavonoids and Colorectal Adenoma Recurrence in the Polyp Prevention Trial, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, June 1, 2008, 1344-1353.
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