What is R-Lipoic Acid? A Helpful Antioxidant for Fertility
Many of my clients have read, It starts with the Egg, a book about improving egg health. It is a great ready for those on a fertility journey who want to improve their odds and their health. The principle behind It Starts with the Egg, which is that you can change your odds by improving egg and sperm quality is the basic principle of functional medicine and Simplina. Simplina provides measurable documented steps to improve egg and sperm health through our own functional medicine coaching program; only we do it in a way that is personalized to your health needs and not a one size fits all approach that you get from a book. Not everyone needs to take everything recommended in the book and there are many other steps my clients take based on their individual health needs.
In the book, many of my clients learned about the supplement R-Lipoic Acid for the first time. R-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant naturally made by the body. It’s actually the most active isomer of alpha-lipoic acid, which is an antioxidant found in foods including red meat, organ meats, carrots, beets, spinach, and broccoli.
It’s made in the mitochondria—also known as the “powerhouse” of the cell—and plays an essential role in energy production by supporting the enzymes that turn nutrients into energy.
Alpha-lipoic acid in its natural form is bound to proteins while supplements contain unbound (free) alpha-lipoic acid, also called R-lipoic acid. One benefit of this difference is in potency, as supplements have been found to contain up to 1,000 times more alpha-lipoic acid than foods. If you purchase R-Lipoic Acid, you’re getting the most active version of lipoic acid and this is recommended for fertility.
Unlike most antioxidants, Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is both water- and fat-soluble, allowing it to work in every cell or tissue in the body! When the body is supported by sleep, exercise, nutrition and other aspects of overall health, it can naturally produce R-lipoic acid to stay healthy.
R-lipoic acid and alpha-lipoic acid benefits
R-lipoic acid and alpha-lipoic acid have been studied in fertility and found to be supportive for fertility in a number of ways. R-lipoic acid has shown to provide improvement in IVF outcomes among older women undergoing IVF and improved sperm quality in infertile men.
However, studies showed that supplementation is needed for an extra boost of these natural benefits and food alone doesn’t provide the high concentrations needed to see results. As always, eating foods with a vitamin you are supplementing can enhance the absorption of that vitamin or antioxidant by providing natural co-factors. So, be sure to take supplemental R-lipoic acid with a meal.
Is alpha-lipoic acid good for fertility?
Because antioxidants protect the body against damage on a cellular level, growing research is investigating the potential benefits of alpha-lipoic acid on sperm count, quality, and concentration as well as egg quality, pregnancy, IVF success, and overall fertility.
Does alpha-lipoic acid affect hormones? The collective research on alpha-lipoic acid and fertility is still early and inconclusive. Nevertheless, many interesting findings suggest that alpha-lipoic acid’s important role in keeping the body healthy may support healthy fertility and hormones.
Studies in women with PCOS showed improvements within 12 weeks of taking alpha-lipoic acid by reducing glucose, insulin, oxidative stress, and testosterone. It could also help to regulate periods, making conceiving a baby easier to plan for and ensuring ovulation. PCOS is a big issue that I see for many clients and a low-glycemic meal plan combined with specific antioxidants including R-Lipoic Acid can be helpful.
Alpha-lipoic acid for male fertility
In recent studies of men with low fertilization or infertility, alpha-lipoic acid supplementation showed promise in sperm and semen quality. When compared to infertile men who did not take an ALA supplement, one study found that men who supplemented with ALA had significantly increased sperm count, sperm concentration, and sperm motility.
These benefits in men may have even greater promise when combined with other antioxidants shown to support fertility. A recent study comparing the sperm quality of men after 90 days of combined treatment with an antioxidant mix containing alpha-lipoic acid, myo-inositol, folic acid, coenzyme Q10, zinc, selenium, and vitamins B2, B6, and B12 showed that after treatment there was an increase in sperm concentration, motility, and quality.
Does ALA help with IVF?
Additionally, fertilization, embryo quality, and blastocyst development was also significantly improved after supplementation, suggesting improved sperm reproductive potential in IVF. Further research on supplementation with a mixed-antioxidant supplement revealed that after 90 days, semen quality significantly improved (sperm concentration, motility, and morphology or structure).
These benefits also have the potential to improve women’s health and support IVF success. A recent study on the effects of lipoic acid in aging women undergoing IVF revealed that in as little as 60 days after supplementation the numbers of mature oocytes and good quality embryos increased.
Though additional research is needed, this highly accessible antioxidant has great potential for fertility enhancement and IVF success. Alpha-lipoic acid or R-Lipoic Acid should not be used without a recommendation from your healthcare provider as it may be harmful for women who are already pregnant, individuals taking blood pressure lowering medications, and others. Always consult an expert!
Confused on what to take and not to take? Or where to start? We get it.
Join our fertility coaching program for customized plans for both you and your partner. Our coaching program specializes in functional medicine fertility. Functional medicine is the one evidence-based approach that can fully customize a health plan to support you in achieving fertility. We look at root causes for infertility—what in your body or your partner’s body could be contributing to any difficulty and we identify natural solutions to support both of you to have the best chance possible. The best part? The side effect is that you’ll both be healthier! Join our functional medicine fertility health program by a Registered Dietitian and a Licensed Nutritionist to get the expert support you deserve.
