The ALA pioneer. (nature's Rx).(physician Burt Berkson; alpha lipoic acid in prevention, treatment of diseases)(Interview)

Dr. Burt Berkson has spent much of his medical career using alpha lipoic acid to treat various maladies. His involvement with ALA began in 1977, when, as a young resident at Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, he received a macabre assignment: Inform patients with liver disease that they had no hope of survival.

The job so upset him, Berkson recalls, that he began looking for ways to save the patients. His search led him to anecdotal evidence suggesting that ALA could be used to regenerate liver cells. Berkson provided ALA to 79 terminal liver patients. Of these, 75 showed significant liver regeneration.

Berkson's research indicates that ALA can support overall health and immunity, while having powerful anti-aging effects, he says. In 1998, Berkson compiled his 20 years of experience with ALA into The Alpha Lipoic Acid Breakthrough (Prima Press). He now runs the Center for Integrative Medicine in Las Cruces, N.M. He recently discussed the benefits of MA.

Better Nutrition: What is ALA?

Berkson: It's a very important antioxidant, meaning it protects the body from the damaging effects of so-called free radicals [Atoms with unpaired electrons, said to damage tissue]. Not only is it a powerful antioxidant [a substance that inhibits free-radical reactions] in its own right, it also dramatically improves the action of other antioxidants, such as vitamins E and C, glutathione and CoQ10. It's also clear -- based on a lot of research -- that ALA enables the body to utilize insulin efficiently.

BN: What does it mean that ALA is a potent antioxidant?

Berkson: As we age, our bodies produce more and more free radicals. ALA neutralizes these free radicals, effectively delaying the aging process [and] allowing new nerve cells to grow. This is already having exciting implications for the treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS [Lou Gehrig's disease].