Rodent of the Week: More lipoic acid, please

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Until the last 10 years or so, triglycerides were not thought to be terribly important to the development of heart disease. But scientists now know that an individual’s level of this type of fat is as important as LDL and HDL cholesterol. Medication can help lower trigylcerides, but a natural substance may work, too.

A study of rats shows that a diet high in lipoic acid decreased triglycerides by up to 60%. The researchers, at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, studied rats that were obese and developed higher triglycerides as they aged. But while triglyceride levels doubled in the rats fed lipoic acid, levels increased more than 400% in the rats not given supplements. Lipoic acid appears to affect triglycerides through two pathways. After eating, it increases the rate of triglyceride clearing from the bloodstream and it reduces the genetic expression of enzymes on the liver, resulting in less production of triglycerides.

Lipoic acid is found in low levels in some red meat and green leafy vegetables. The amount used in the study would amount to about 2 grams a day for a 150-pound person, said the author of the study, Regis Moreau, in a news release. Lipoic acid is safe in high doses, he said, adding that studies should be conducted in humans.

‘The extent of triglyceride reduction was really dramatic,’ he said. ‘We didn’t expect it to be this profound. The potential is good that this could become another way to lower blood triglycerides and help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.’

The study was published online in the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

-- Shari Roan

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