This article is a second report on my self-experiment with the two supplements alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) and Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC), which have been found to reverse certain aging processes in rats. An overview and a one-month report are located in the archives on LifeLink’s website. ^1, 2 It has now been seven months since I began using these supplements at doses scaled up in the ratio of human-to-rat body weights.

The reader should bear in mind that this is not a scientifically conducted experiment — there is only one subject, no controls, and no medical testing. However, even such a crude experiment might well be able to answer the following three interesting questions:

• First, are there any really obvious bad side effects from taking such large amounts of these supplements?
• Second, are there any really obvious benefits from using this regimen?
• Third, are there any improvements in my physical or mental condition that might be attributable to the supplements? (If so, then these are improvements that others should look for when they try their own ALA+ALC regimen.)

THE REGIMEN

The two supplements involved are Acetyl-L-Carnitine (7.5 grams/day) and Alpha-Lipoic Acid (1.5 grams/day). These daily doses were divided into three equal portions taken roughly 8 hours apart.

Although the ALA used in the rat experiments was R-alpha-Lipoic Acid rather than the mixed (racemic) form, the R-form was not available as an affordable supplement; therefore I had to use the mixed form.

NEW SIDE EFFECTS

No new side effects have appeared in the past six months. The heartburn mentioned in my first report sometimes still occurs if I take the supplements with an empty stomach and forget to accompany them with a half teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in water. (See my first report. ²)

Note added 2003.Jan.21: What I said in the previous paragraph turns out to be incorrect. I recently learned that ALC is an inhibitor of an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol. Using ALC in large doses causes alcohol to remain in the body for a longer time than usual, and gives alcoholic consumption a greater impact than normal. I have been noticing for many months that I seem to be unable to drink even one glass of wine at dinner without getting very sleepy, and two glasses gives me a hangover. The connection with ALC didn’t occur to me until I saw a research paper describing it. ³

POSSIBLE BENEFITS

My list of personal improvements possibly due to the ALA+ALC regimen is now somewhat longer, I’m pleased to say. After compiling this list I began to wonder whether readers will think I was a medical mess before starting the supplements. Actually, I didn’t feel that way at all — and I suspect that lots of people have a few physical or mental problems that annoy them, but which are’t apparent to anyone else.

1. Raynaud’s Syndrome: The circulatory problems that I used to experience in my hands when they were exposed to cold air or water have nearly ceased. During the past six months I have had only one very mild instance of Raynaud’s, even though the weather in San Francisco is usually chilly, even in the summer.
2. Athletic performance: My performance at the gym, which improved dramatically during my first month on ALA+ALC, has remained about the same during the past six months.
3. Overactive sinuses: Before starting the ALA+ALC experiment I had for many years been annoyed by the fact that the act of eating caused my sinuses to become highly overactive. I was unable to get through a meal without having to excuse myself to deal with my runny nose. The problem occurred regardless of whether the foods were bland or spicy, although spicy foods were worse. Since last April this problem has gradually decreased and now rarely occurs at all.
4. Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): This is the medical term for an irresistible need to move one’s limbs or flex one’s muscles, usually occurring at night and making it impossible to sleep or to remain still. I developed the syndrome in the 1970s, and it involved muscles of the legs and arms, and other major muscles. An episode of RLS could be halted by doing vigorous calisthenics, but to have to spend 10 minutes doing exercises in the middle of the night was annoying. By 2002 February I was having five to ten RLS episodes per month. Then, during the past seven months of ALA+ALC usage, the frequency of my RLS episodes gradually decreased to one or two per month, and these are much reduced in intensity.
5. Nerve damage recovery: I sometimes wake up with numbness in parts of one or both hands, apparently from sleeping in a bad position. It generally goes away in a few minutes — except once, about three years ago, when a severe numbness in the outer two fingers of my left hand didn’t go away. It remained for the next two-and-a-half years, making typing awkward and piano-playing impossible. It was only after I began using ALA+ALC that the numbness has gradually diminished, until it now seems like the fingers are about 90% back to normal.
6. Cognition: As for improvements in memory or recall, there has been a general decrease in the frequency that I forget to do minor everyday tasks. And during a trip to Europe I was suprised at how well my college German rebounded after several decades of disuse. Beyond that, I’d be hard put to find possible impacts of the supplements on my memory.
7. Facial appearance: After one month on the regimen I thought I might be seeing an improvement in my facial appearance. I’m now of the opinion that this was merely a random fluctuation in appearance or else in perception. One’s facial appearance is difficult to evaluate unless it changes dramatically in a short time. No such change has occurred, so I conclude that the regimen does not rejuvenate the face in the span of seven months.

IT’S TIME TO COMPARE NOTES

The improvements in my physical and mental well-being that are listed above are simply those that occurred while I was using ALA+ALC. They may or may not be caused by the supplements themselves — some or all of them might have happened without the supplements. Firm conclusions can’t be drawn from such experiences in a single person. What we need now is for others on this (or any similar) regimen to compare notes. In particular, people with Raynaud’s Syndrome, Restless Leg Syndrome, or sinus problems from food should find it easy to judge the severity of their symptoms and to detect any major changes that occur while they are on the regimen. Even athletic performance, cognition, and appearance, if they change suddenly and markedly, should be possible to evaluate.

To facilitate the gathering of information about the effects of ALA+ALC on body and mind, I’ve created a mini-website containing a message board and other tools. It is in the form of a Yahoo “group”. Anyone can join the group by first registering with Yahoo and then joining the group called “Rejuvenate”. Anyone who wants detailed instructions on how to do this should email me at “rejuvenate@yahoo.com”. The URL for the group is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rejuvenate/.

PRICE UPDATE

The prices of these supplements have remained about what they were six months ago, meaning that a month on the regimen I’ve described costs about $175 (LifeLink’s prices). Since the optimum human doses are still not known, it’s quite possible that lower doses and a smaller budget would work just as well.