How can alpha-lipoic acid help me gain strength and muscle?
-
Tim Ferriss answered:I began taking alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) for its impressive impact on glucose uptake and reduced triglyceride production.
First and foremost, I wanted to increase muscular absorption of the calories (and supplements) I consumed, and ALA turned out to be the perfect force multiplier. More calories absorbed into muscle meant fewer calories deposited as fat and faster strength gains.
ALA accomplishes this, in part, by recruiting glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4) to the muscular cell membrane. This both mimics insulin and increases insulin sensitivity, and ALA is therefore being explored as an "insulino-mimetic" that can be used to treat type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Not only does ALA increase glucose and nutrient absorption, but it also demonstrates triglyceride inhibition and -- through extrapolation -- fat storage.
In one sentence, here is why alpha-lipoic acid is great for weight loss: ALA helps you store the carbohydrates you eat in muscle or in your liver as opposed to in fat.
Find out more about this book: The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and B...
I began taking alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) for its impressive impact on glucose uptake and reduced triglyceride production.First and foremost, I wanted to increase muscular absorption of the calories (and supplements) I consumed, and ALA turned out to... More
