What's So Special About Alpha-Lipoic Acid?

Today’s almonds have been activated by:

⏰ IN A RUSH?

Today’s 30-Second Summary

If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:

• Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a particularly potent antioxidant, in part because its water-soluble and fat-soluble nature (most antioxidants are only one or the other) mean that it can access all living cells of the human body]

  • Today’s main feature examines how well it guards against inflammation and skin aging

• Do you have, or are you worried about the risk of, sciatica?

  • Today’s sponsor NativePath is offering 10almonds subscribers a large discount on its new product Native Balance, to help bolster the body against sciatica.

Read on to learn more about these things, or click here to visit our archive

🤫 A WORD TO THE WISE

👀 WATCH AND LEARN

TED-Ed | Does Stress Cause Pimples? | Dr. Claudia Aguirre (3:54)

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Prefer text? Check out our previous main feature with Dr. Aguirre:

Dr. Claudia Aguirre | The Neuroscience Of Your Skin

Want to watch it, but not right now? Bookmark it for later 🔖

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…

• Health Simplified (book)

• Semaglutide for Weight Loss?

❓ MYSTERY ITEM

Degrees of Health

Hint: today’s mystery item will help you to tackle your health head-on

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…

• Protect Your Brain, With Quercetin

• One More Resource Against Osteoporosis!

💊 MAIN FEATURE

The Access-All-Areas Antioxidant

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is one of the most bioavailable antioxidants in existence. A bold claim, but most antioxidants are only water-soluble or fat-soluble, whereas ALA is both. This has far-reaching implications—and we mean that literally, because its “go everywhere” status means that it can access (and operate in) all living cells of the human body.

We make it inside our body, and we can also get it in our diet, or take it as a supplement.

What foods contain it?

The richest food sources are:

• For the meat-eaters: organ meats

• For everyone: broccoli, tomatoes, & spinach

However, supplements are more efficient at delivering it, by several orders of magnitude:

Read more: Lipoic acid – biological activity and therapeutic potential

What are its benefits?

Most of its benefits are the usual benefits you would expect from any antioxidant, just, more of it. In particular, reduced inflammation and slowed skin aging are common reasons that people take ALA as a supplement.

Does it really reduce inflammation?

Yes, it does. This one’s not at all controversial, as this systematic review of studies shows:

Effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on C-reactive protein level: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

(C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation)

Does it really reduce skin aging?

Again yes—which again is not surprising for such a potent antioxidant; remember that oxidative stress is one of the main agonists of cellular aging:

The clinical efficacy of cosmeceutical application of liquid crystalline nanostructured dispersions of alpha lipoic acid as anti-wrinkle

As a special feature, ALA shows particular strength against sun-related skin aging, because of how it protects against UV radiation and increases levels of gluthianone, which also helps:

• Photochemical stability of lipoic acid and its impact on skin ageing

• Modern approach to topical treatment of aging skin 

Where can I get some?

We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon 😎

Enjoy!

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…

• How to Prevent (or Reduce) Inflammation

• Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)

❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE

Sciatica Sufferers Find Solace

For those who know the relentless grip of sciatica, Native Balance offers more than temporary respite—it offers hope for lasting comfort. This unique combination of magnesium oxide and glycinate works in harmony to address nerve health from within.

Unlock this potential at an extraordinary discount—only $15 per bottle during their limited-time sale, complete with free shipping. It's not just about managing symptoms; it's about nurturing your well-being for the long term.

Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free

Browse By Category

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life – by Nir Eyal

Have you ever felt that you could accomplish anything you wanted/needed, if only you didn’t get distracted?

This book lays out a series of psychological interventions for precisely that aim, and it goes a lot beyond the usual “download/delete these apps to help you stop checking social media every 47 seconds”.

Some you’ll have heard of before, some you won’t have, and if even one method works for you, it’ll have been well worth your while reading this book. This reviewer, for example, enjoyed the call to identity-based strength, e.g. adopting an “I am indistractable*” perspective going into tasks. This is akin to the strength of, for example, “I don’t drink” over “I am a recovering alcoholic”.

*the usual spelling of this, by the way, is “undistractable”, but we use the author’s version here for consistency. It’s a great marketing gimmick, as all searches for the word “indistractable” will bring up his book.

Nor is the book just about maximizing productivity to the detriment of everything else; this is not about having a 25 hours per day “grindset”. Rather, it even makes sure to cover such things as focusing on one’s loved ones, for instance.

Bottom line: if you’ve tried blocking out the distractions but still find you can’t focus, this book offers next-level solutions

Click here to check out Indistractible, and become indeed indistractable!

Wishing you a wonderful month ahead,

The 10almonds Team

📺️ ADVERTISEMENTS KEEP 10ALMONDS FREE