Alpha-lipoic acid stimulates telomerase in vascular smooth muscle. Telomerase is the enzyme that lengthens chromosomes’ protective caps, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. The discovery highlights a potential avenue for the treatment for chronic diseases.
“Alpha-lipoic acid has an essential role in mitochondria, the energy-generating elements of the cell,” says Wayne Alexander, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. “It is widely available and has been called a ‘natural antioxidant’. Yet ALA’s effects in human clinical studies have been a mixed bag.”
ALA appears to exert its effects against atherosclerosis by spurring the smooth muscle cells that surround blood vessels to make PGC1 (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gam...
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