Work

P02.97. Lipoic acid supplementation induces a transient stress response and improves episodic memory and cholesterol efflux in humans

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: This study utilized acute treatments with LA supplements as well as chronic supplementation in an 8 week, double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial in human volunteers. The subjects were grouped into young (18-45 years) or elderly (~79 years), and all subjects were administered the R-enantiomer of LA in the form of oral supplements. This was a small pilot study with 2-6 subjects in each experiment. Results from the backward letter span and paired associates cognitive tests indicate that LA improved verbal episodic memory in the elderly, but did not improve short-term memory in the young or elderly. Chronic LA altered stress response systems as indicated by a transient increase in salivary cortisol and aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1. Chronic LA also increased the amount of cholesterol taken up by high-density lipoproteins, particularly in the elderly subjects. LA may be useful as a complementary nutraceutical agent to improve cholesterol efflux and select memory processes, particularly in the elderly. Continuous supplementation with LA induces a transient catabolic state, as well as a transient stress response. Thus, LA may function as a hormetic agent by inducing an initial stress that primes the system to efficiently respond to future toxicological insult.

Source: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-s1-p153