Lipoic acid for MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system, interfering with nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It is a condition that affects around 23,000 people in Australia and more than two million people around the world. In the early stages of MS, there are neurological symptoms that come and go. This is called relapsing remitting MS and can last for months or years. Eventually though most people progress beyond this and the condition is then called secondary progressive MS. In this latter phase, much of the problem is caused by loss of nerve cells and fibres. In a new study, though, it seems that the supplement lipoic acid might help in slowing secondary progressive MS.

This was a double-blind study involving 51 people with confirmed secondary progressive MS. For 96 weeks, 27 of the patients received 1200mg of lipoic acid daily while 24 of them received a placebo. The subjects were monitored using MRI scans to measure brain changes, the macula of the eye was also monitored and there were questionnaires given to establish quality of life.

At the end of the trial, the MRI scans revealed that the decline in brain volume during the study among the lipoic acid group was 0.22 per cent compared to 0.65 per cent in the placebo group. That means the lipoic acid was correlated with a 66 per cent reduction in brain volume loss which is statistically significant.

Those in the lipoic acid group did report a higher rate of stomach upset but they also reported a lower incidence of falls.

The researchers acknowledge that this is only a pilot study but it is encouraging and since the lipoic acid tablets were easy to take, suggests this an avenue of treatment well worth looking at.

Source: The Lancet