More Information About ThioGel-L

Other ingredients: Contains triglycerides, lecithin and other edible surfactants to facilitate solubilization and absorption. Contains gelatin. Contains no sugar, salt, wheat, gluten, corn or dairy.

The triple antioxidant combination of alpha lipoic acid, silymarin, and selenium protects the liver from free radical damage, increase the levels of other fundamental antioxidants, and interfere with viral proliferation.

Solubilized Alpha Lipoic Acid

Originally discovered as a compound that stimulates liver growth, Lipoic Acid is a necessary co-factor for the mitochondria to convert sugar fragments to energy within our cells. Because of its central role in glucose metabolism, it is produced by all aerobic (oxygen using) cells and so can not be considered a vitamin.

An eight carbon and two sulfur containing compound, it is soluble in both the liquid and fat portions of our cells. It is found in all tissues of the body, especially those high in mitochondria, such as muscles and nerves. When Lipoic Acid levels become depleted glucose metabolism is impaired and the oxygen debt increases, resulting in the formation of pyruvic acid (the "muscle burner" formed by over-exertion) and free-radical toxins.

The Universal Antioxidant : Lipoic Acid is unique among the antioxidants because of its both fat and water soluble nature. Vitamin C, the most well known antioxidant vitamin, is soluble in water and so functions in the watery portions of our bodies, such as blood and within cells. Vitamin E, another well known antioxidant vitamin, is fat soluble and so functions to protect the membranes and fatty tissues of our cells. Glutathione, the most powerful natural antioxidant of all, is itself trapped within cells, and so must be made at the site of activity.

Thus, Glutathione and vitamins C and E are restricted to specific fractions of the body, and thus are dependent upon other compounds to shuttle them past barriers. This is where Lipoic Acid is truly unique, for due to its chemical structure it can act in the membrane portion of cells, pass into the center of cells by diffusing through the fatty membrane, and even reach the nucleus itself. In fact, of all the known naturally occurring antioxidant compounds Lipoic Acid is the best at passing through the blood-brain barrier and is even being examined as a possible aid to neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases.

Lipoic Acid Recycles Other Antioxidants : Lipoic Acid acts as a powerful antioxidant, but like other antioxidant molecules it becomes exhausted by contact with free-radicals. Yet the true elegance of Lipoic Acid lies in the fact that in its exhausted (reduced) form it directly regenerates exhausted (reduced) vitamin C and indirectly regenerates reduced vitamin E. And during this process Lipoic Acid is itself regenerated! This means that Lipoic Acid is able to act as a free-radical scavenger, regenerate other exhausted free-radical scavengers, and return to its task of scavenging free-radicals.

The Unique Absorption of Solublized Lipoic Acid : Lipoic Acid is traditionally reported to be absorbed by the small intestine in the manner of medium-chain fatty acids. This is true, but the story goes much further than that. Lipoic Acid absorption into cells is dependent upon the dispersal of individual molecules, which bile salts accomplish. However, the only reason that most studies have limited the absorption profile to the small intestine lies in the insoluble nature of the refined native compound.

In its native refined state, Lipoic Acid is extremely insoluble at normal pH, and even less soluble at acidic pH. Thus, Lipoic Acid from disintegrated tablets form clumps and crystals that are unable to disperse through the cell membranes of the acidic stomach. Since the liver is the prime organ for the removal of Lipoic Acid from the body, and digested fats must first pass through the hepatic portal vein of the liver on their way to systemic circulation, Lipoic Acid that utilizes the small intestine for absorption results in relatively low plasma levels, regardless of the formulation being sustained release or not.

However, when correctly solubilized, Lipoic Acid will pass through the walls of the stomach and other epithelial tissues in the manner of fat soluble drugs. By utilizing this absorption mechanism, emulsified Lipoic Acid overwhelms much of the liver's ability to remove it, and so higher plasma levels result. Solubilized Lipoic Acid (Thioctic Acid) is available under the trade name ThioGel™.

These higher Lipoic Acid plasma levels likely achieve greater effects upon the antioxidant and metabolic status of individuals, for most biological processes are dependent upon concentration gradients to push reactions in specific directions. The solubilized Lipoic Acid also absorbs faster and achieves a higher integrated area (area-under-the-curve pharmacokinetics).

Uses of Alpha Lipoic Acid in Liver Diseases: The damage that occurs in many liver diseases is often linked to the production of free radicals. The membranes that surround cells and organelles are composed of long chain fatty acids (lipids), that are subject to the process of lipid peroxidation. Free radicals play a major role in cell membrane damage, cause proteins and DNA to cross-link, and interfere with ribosomal protein production. When free radicals and lipid peroxides begin to accumulate within our cells, our bodies quickly respond through a complex of naturally occurring antioxidant molecules. The most important and powerful human antioxidant is glutathione, which protects us from the toxic effects of alcohol, cigarette smoke, chemotherapeutic agents, and radiation. Glutathione is an integral part of the glutathione peroxidase enzyme that deactivates lipid peroxidases, restores membrane integrity, and halts the spread of lipid peroxidation.

Since oxidative stress is observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from hepatitis C patients, it is hypothesized that oxidative stress might alter lymphocyte function and facilitate the chronicity of the infection. Analysis of the hepatitis C virus itself has provided further evidence that the oxidative state of the body can trigger pathogenicity of the disease. It appears that the virus codes for a selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase enzyme, by linking viral replication and pathogenesis to the selenium status and dietary oxidant/antioxidant balance of the host. This phenomenon could help explain why hepatitis C disease progression is accelerated by oxidant stresses such as alcoholism and iron overload.

Primary among the many biological actions of alpha lipoic acid are the chelation of heavy metals, the quenching of various free radical species, and the recycling of vitamins E, vitamin C and glutathione, making it a uniquely important compound in counteracting oxidative stress associated with various liver conditions.  

Daily Lipoic Acid Supplementation and Safety: In Europe , diabetic treatment commonly includes 600 mg/day. In Alzheimer's and Parkinson's case studies, 600 mg/day are also routinely prescribed. In HCV and HIV case studies, the same dose is being investigated. For normal, healthy individuals 400 - 600 mg/day appears to be a safe and effective dose to alleviate general allergic symptoms, provide metabolic boosts, and provide a general feeling of well being.

Animal and human studies have demonstrated that Lipoic Acid does not have toxicity in the dose range listed above. However, for severely thiamine (B-1) depleted individuals (such as alcoholics) thiamine supplementation is advised due to its effect upon metabolic function. Thus, a B-complex vitamin supplementation is suggested.

Side effects to Lipoic Acid are rare, but include allergic skin reactions and hypoglycemic responses (especially in diabetics). For this reason, it is recommended that ThioGel or any other lipoic acid products be taken with a nutritional meal, and that individuals get plenty of sleep and exercise on a daily basis to promote general health.

Silymarin (Milk Thistle)

Extracts of silymarin are used clinically in Europe and Asia for the treatment of liver diseases, and sold in the United States as a dietary supplement. Silymarin has been shown to possess potent anti-cancer effects, and has been used clinically to treat toxic hepatitis, fatty liver, cirrhosis, ischemic injury, radiation toxicity, and viral hepatitis. Silymarin works as an oxidant by scavenging free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Milk Thistle seed preparations have been used for the treatment of liver disease since antiquity. At one time or another, virtually all parts of the plant have been used as both food and medicine with virtually no reports of toxicity, aside from a mild laxative effect in some patients. The extensive chemical, pharmacological, and clinical research that has been conducted over the past thirty years, has revealed the active components, mechanism of action, and proven its efficacy in human liver disease. Milk thistle is one of those fascinating plants, whose use, supported by 2000 years of historical use, has emerged as an important example of how traditional information can be used for the development of modern herb products.

Numerous well-designed clinical trials have been conducted in Europe , primarily Germany , on the therapeutic efficacy of silymarin in the treatment of metabolic liver damage, chronic hepatitis, and bile duct inflammation, often induced by alcohol, drugs (psycopharmaceuticals), and chronic liver disease including certain forms of hepatitis. The hepatoprotective effects of silymarin have been demonstrated in accelerating normalization of impaired liver function. Accelerated improvement in measures of liver function, including serum levels of GOT (glutamic oxalacetic transaminase), GPT (glutamic pyruvic transaminase) and Gamma GT (gamma glutamyl transpeptidase) have been consistently observed. Dosages involved in clinical trials have often been 420 mg./day, used for a period of 4 to 8 weeks.

The therapeutic efficacy is based on several separate mechanisms of action. Silymarin alters the outer liver membrane cell structure in such a way that certain toxins, as demonstrated with the toxins of the Deathcap mushroom, cannot enter the cell. Silymarin also stimulates RNA polymerase A (also known as polymerase I), enhancing ribosome protein synthesis, resulting in activating the regenerative capacity of the liver through cell development. Clinical use of silymarin today applies to toxic liver damage for the supportive treatment of chronic inflammatory liver disorders and cirrhosis of the liver, such as in chronic hepatitis, and fatty infiltration of the liver by alcohol and other chemicals.

The German Health Authorities, equivalent to the U.S. FDA, have established a separate panel, known as Commission E to develop acceptable uses, contraindications, and dosages for well-defined herbal medicines in Germany . The Commission E monographs serve as the basis for regulation of herb products in Germany , and serve as the model for European Union harmonization of laws on phytomedicines. Their positive monograph on milk thistle seed allows preparations of the seeds for the support ive treatment of chronic inflammatory liver disorders and cirrhosis of the liver, such as chronic hepatitis, and fatty infiltration of the liver by alcohol and other chemicals. The monograph also notes that pretreatment with silymarin inhibits alcohol induced liver damage, suggesting that it is useful in both a preventative and curative sense.

The effects of milk thistle on liver disease was the subject of a Technology Assessment (Evidence Report No. 21: September 2000) performed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The report states that evidence exists that milk thistle may be hepatoprotective through a number of mechanisms: antioxidant activity, toxin blockade, enhanced protein synthesis, antifibrotic activity, and possible anti-inflammatory or immunomodulating effects.

The report concluded that the clinical efficacy of milk thistle could not be clearly established, due to problems with study design and inadequate reporting in publications. A possible benefit has been shown most frequently, but not consistently, for improvement in aminotransferases and liver function tests. The report also concludes that milk thistle is associated with few, and generally minor, adverse effects.

Selenium

Although we need only tiny amounts of selenium to stay healthy, the importance of selenium should not be understated. Low levels of selenium result in poor immune cell function, and people who are suffering from AIDs, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease characteristically have low serum selenium levels.

Selenium is a powerful antioxidant molecule, and has the added benefit of increasing the activity of glutathione peroxidase. Selenium is a cofactor of glutathione which contains four atoms of selenium per molecule.

For people with retroviruses (such as HIV and hepatitis C), selenium may play an unexpected role in addition to the above effects. Retroviruses contain a selenium dependent enzyme that monitors the selenium status of the host, and when selenium levels fall, these viruses begin replicating at an increased rate.

There is a great deal of evidence indicating that selenium supplementation at high levels reduces the incidence of cancer in animals. More than two-thirds of over 100 published studies in 20 different animal models of spontaneous, viral, and chemically induced cancers found that selenium supplementation significantly reduced tumor incidence. The evidence indicates that the methylated forms of selenium are the active species against tumors, and these methylated selenium compounds are produced at the greatest amounts with excess selenium intakes. Selenium deficiency does not appear to make animals more susceptible to developing cancerous tumors. 

 

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.