Diabetes 169
Treat i ng Diabete s
The single most effective treatment for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes
is lipoic acid.^4 The most easily absorbed form, alpha lipoic acid, elimi-
nates the major symptom of diabetes, high blood sugar, by converting
the excess glucose into energy. This helps solve other medical problems
associated with diabetes, especially in the case of insulin-dependent
diabetes. W hen lipoic acid normalizes blood sugar, the latter no longer
injures the eyes, nerves, cardiovascular system, or extremities of the
body. According to Dr. Hans Tritschler’s clinical studies in Munich,
Germany, lipoic acid, by lowering blood sugar levels, regenerates nerve
damage caused when blood sugar levels spike.^5
Lipoic acid can reduce elevated blood sugar levels by triggering the
movement of the glucose transporters, a component involved in the blood
sugar’s entry into the cells. Like vehicles that leave the garage where they
are stored and go wherever they are needed, glucose transporters, when
blood sugar levels are normal, move from the interior of the cell to the
cellular membrane, pick up glucose, and transport it into the cell.
But when blood sugar levels are too high, glucose transporters no
longer act as blood sugar carriers. However, with the help of lipoic acid,
they are able once again to convey the sugar molecules in the blood
across the cellular membrane into the cell. Since lipoic acid contributes
to the production of energy (which is packaged in units called ATP), it
is not surprising that Dr. M. Khamaigi’s group at the University of
Negev in Israel^6 was able to prove that with increased levels of glucose
inside the cells, thanks to lipoic acid, energy production increases.
FREE RADICALS: THE BODY’S ROGUE CELLS
Free radicals, a by-product of oxidation (the burning of glucose for
energy), are missing an electron. This destabilizes them so that
they go on a rampage, seeking to “steal” electrons from other
molecules to replace the electrons they no longer have.
Antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, melatonin,
and especially lipoic acid give up electrons to these free radicals
gone berserk and, in doing so, stabilize them so they do no
further damage.
