The king of antioxidants

Along with the constant uprising in the field of technology, science and medicine, comes an increasing number of studies which confirm the healing potentials of certain elements in the foods we are surrounded with on a daily basis. But one element, in particular, has deserved a special attention and it is called alpha-linoleic acid, the name you, most probably, haven’t heard of by now.

Alpha-linoleic acid is concentrated in foods which should be a part of every family’s menu like spinach, meat, tomato, liver, potato and peas. During the last century, alpha-linoleic acid was discovered in beef liver, also a very nutritious food which contains numerous body essential minerals. Ever since then alpha-linoleic acid has often been referred to “as the universal antioxidant”, the king of antioxidants, with a main role to suppress the action of harmful free radicals of endogenous source (generated intracellularly).
Since sometimes it is hard to obtain that “therapeutic effect” only from food, it has lately become popular to take alpha-linoleic acid supplements. In fact, alpha-linoleic acid has shown a beneficial effect on all our body cells. Together with vitamin B it assists in breaking down fats, carbohydrates and proteins into energy. Other than being a strong antioxidant itself, alpha-linoleic acid also enhances the efficiency of other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E.

One of the main applications of this valuable antioxidant is in treating nerve damage. It is also very useful for the liver since it not only protects it from the free radical effects but helps eliminate toxins from the body as well. Thanks to all these notable features, ALA acid is also used in treating liver cirrhosis, hepatitis and some other diseases. It also plays a significant role in the regulation of diabetes. Furthermore, it protects our body from different age-related processes. It inhibits glycation which denotes the bonding of proteins (a lipid molecule) with the glucose molecule (sugar), or in simplified terms, it is the process through which sugar causes wrinkles and leads to cardiovascular diseases, eye problems and many other aging-associated diseases.