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EPO Levels Are Increased By Alpha Lipoic Acid Supplementation.
EPO & ALA
EPO – short for erythropoietin – is a hormone that is produced by the kidneys. It stimulates the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Athletes' bodies make more EPO if they train at high altitude, where there is less oxygen in the atmosphere. In 1994 German scientists published the results of an in-vitro study that suggest that the concentration of H2O2 decreases in an oxygen-deprived atmosphere, and that this leads to an increase in EPO synthesis.
In 2013 Egyptian researchers reported that people with anaemia who are given EPO often need lower doses of the hormone if they also take 600 mg alpha lipoic acid every day. That is why the Poles were curious to know whether alpha lipoic acid supplementation might be beneficial for endurance athletes – and whether alpha lipoic acid might imitate the effects of training at altitude.
Study
The researchers did an experiment with two groups of 8 male students. They gave one group 1200 mg alpha lipoic acid daily and the other group a placebo. The product the Poles used is shown on the right: Thiogamma, made by Wörwag Pharma. [Webstek] Wörwag Pharma did not finance the study by the way. The study was financed by the Polish government and the university where the researchers worked.
After ten days, the students had to jog for 90 minutes at a gentle pace on a treadmill, at 60 percent of their VO2max, and then run for 15 minutes on a 10-degree slope. Before and after the session the researchers analysed the students' blood.
Results
The EPO level rose in both groups after the session, but the rise was noticeably bigger in the subjects who had taken alpha lipoic acid.
Alpha lipoic acid supplementation led to an increase in the H2O2 concentration before the running session, but also resulted in a lower increase after the running session. This would suggest that there was a hormesis effect.
Alpha lipoic acid supplementation protected the muscles. At the end of the running session the researchers found less creatine-kinase, fewer 8-isoprostanes, less lipid peroxide and less protein carbonyl in the blood of the experimental group members than in the blood of the placebo group members. All the above are indicators of muscle breakdown.
Conclusion
"The current results confirm the antioxidative properties of alpha-lipoic acid, and indicate a possible use of alpha-lipoic acid to improve EPO production and skeletal muscle regeneration through changes in the RN/OS ratio at rest and after exercise", the researchers concluded.
Source:
Biol Sport. 2014 Aug;31(3):179-85.
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EPO & ALA
EPO – short for erythropoietin – is a hormone that is produced by the kidneys. It stimulates the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Athletes' bodies make more EPO if they train at high altitude, where there is less oxygen in the atmosphere. In 1994 German scientists published the results of an in-vitro study that suggest that the concentration of H2O2 decreases in an oxygen-deprived atmosphere, and that this leads to an increase in EPO synthesis.
In 2013 Egyptian researchers reported that people with anaemia who are given EPO often need lower doses of the hormone if they also take 600 mg alpha lipoic acid every day. That is why the Poles were curious to know whether alpha lipoic acid supplementation might be beneficial for endurance athletes – and whether alpha lipoic acid might imitate the effects of training at altitude.
Study
The researchers did an experiment with two groups of 8 male students. They gave one group 1200 mg alpha lipoic acid daily and the other group a placebo. The product the Poles used is shown on the right: Thiogamma, made by Wörwag Pharma. [Webstek] Wörwag Pharma did not finance the study by the way. The study was financed by the Polish government and the university where the researchers worked.
After ten days, the students had to jog for 90 minutes at a gentle pace on a treadmill, at 60 percent of their VO2max, and then run for 15 minutes on a 10-degree slope. Before and after the session the researchers analysed the students' blood.
Results
The EPO level rose in both groups after the session, but the rise was noticeably bigger in the subjects who had taken alpha lipoic acid.
Alpha lipoic acid supplementation led to an increase in the H2O2 concentration before the running session, but also resulted in a lower increase after the running session. This would suggest that there was a hormesis effect.
Alpha lipoic acid supplementation protected the muscles. At the end of the running session the researchers found less creatine-kinase, fewer 8-isoprostanes, less lipid peroxide and less protein carbonyl in the blood of the experimental group members than in the blood of the placebo group members. All the above are indicators of muscle breakdown.
Conclusion
"The current results confirm the antioxidative properties of alpha-lipoic acid, and indicate a possible use of alpha-lipoic acid to improve EPO production and skeletal muscle regeneration through changes in the RN/OS ratio at rest and after exercise", the researchers concluded.
Source:
Biol Sport. 2014 Aug;31(3):179-85.
NOW ALA 250mg 120 Count Amazon