Helping Weight loss, Muscle Gain, Diminished Hangovers and more – The Benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid!

alpha lipoic acid benefits & side effects articleAlpha lipoic acid (ALA) is not a supplement that is well known but it does have some very interesting properties and the risk of side effects (if you take reasonable doses) is very low. I learned about ALA from Tim Ferris while reading the four hour body and how he used it to help put more of the calories from the food he eats into muscles instead of fat cells. I personally have used it for that purpose but also to fight off alcohol hangovers or damage from other drugs such as MDMA according to this study. It is naturally found in foods such as vegetables but in very small quantities so if you really want to take advantage of it you need to supplement.

Beyond its more advanced usage for fat loss/muscle gains & lowering blood sugar, it is a potent antioxidant that can help fight off hangovers and a large variety of health problems.

ALA can help prevent eye problemsALA is an antioxidant which is a substance that supports protecting cells and your DNA from the damage done by free radicals due to oxidation reactions which is why we hear so often about antioxidants, a LOT of natural foods (especially vegetables and fruits) contain other forms of antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E which are well known (and relevant to this post, ALA has the ability to “renew and put back to work” vitamin C & E making them even more useful). This is most likely the reason ALA can be useful to fight off damage form alcohol or other drugs. When antioxidants are not available, free radicals cause oxidation and this reaction is one of the processes that cause a lot of problems in our body, including accelerating aging or making your skin look older.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Usage & Benefits

Alpha lipoic acid can be used to treat a variety of health related problems. It is used to prevent inflammation due to multiple sclerosis. There is a study that shows that alpha lipoic acid supplement helps patients with type 2 diabetes by enhancing the body’s ability to use its own insulin to lower the level of blood sugar. This is one of the key reasons that when it comes to putting on muscle weight and less fat while overeating I use it as part of my training regimen to get 25 pounds in 2 months.

It helps with nerve damage caused by cancer or diabetes treatment by reducing the nerve-related symptoms of diabetes like pain, burning, tingling, and prickling in the legs and arms.

Some people use an alpha lipoic acid supplement for chronic fatigue syndrome, memory loss, cancer, liver disease, lyme disease and diseases of the heart. It also is used to protect against eye related problem such as damage to cataracts, retina, glaucoma and Wilson’s disease, most likely due to how it helps renew vitamin C & E in the body.

A study was conducted to 33 women with an average age of 54 years old found that after 3 months of applying a cream containing 5% lipoic acid, their skin roughness was reduced and the appearance of photo-aging has decreased.

 

Quick list of Alpha lipoic acid benefits

According to Nutraceutical Update by Mark A. Mitchell, M.D. (which I took from this post), based on the studies and evidences gathered, lipoic acid offers the following health benefits:

  • Helps prevents retinal cell death when combined with vitamin E in retinitis pigmentosa

Eating Paleo in Bangkok + Finding cheap protein powder in Thailand

Eating paleo in BangkokI’ve been living in Thailand for around 6 months now and I really enjoy how easily accessible grass fed meats & organic vegetables are in Bangkok especially thanks to the resources I found and listed below. Its best if you have a kitchen so you can avoid the constant bombardment of rice and vegetable cooking oil with MSG and sugar (everywhere). I also list some places to buy protein powder onlinGrass fed Meats & organic vegetables are easy to find!e for cheap all over Thailand (because its massively overpriced in stores, double+ normal “western” prices).

Grass fed Meats & Organic vegetables in Bangkok (both with delivery to your home!)

 

Meat for Bangkok, I had a kitchen so I was ordering my grass fed meat and wild caught sockeye salmon (which is a type of salmon they cannot farm so you know its wild) wholesale from http://paleorobbie.com/mealplan/wholesale.php. If you do not have a kitchen, you can order pre made paleo meals from their main website, http://paleorobbie.com/en/ and at least avoid some of the rice, MSG and sugar in all the street food of Thailand.

Why Your Toothpaste is Important – Finding an SLS Free Toothpaste Without Fluoride

Finding an SLS Free Toothpaste Without FluorideToothpaste is something that was always an easy decision for me as I never gave it any thoughts. As I learned about some of the harmful chemicals in foods we commonly eat and many household products we take for granted I started looking more into toothpaste and how to find one that will keep my teeth white with minimal long term risk. I figured it’s a good long term decision, sure it took me some time to find a SLS free toothpaste that also does not contain fluoride but now the research is done and I will share some of my findings and share the toothpaste I’ll probably always use in the foreseeable future, it’s also not even more expensive than the ones you can find in stores.