There hasn’t been much talk on ALA recently in the forum and I wasn’t wondering what was everyone’s feelings on it. Increased Insulin sensitivity vs. Decreased glycogen synthesis: Which way does the evidence point for the intentions of a bodybuilder?
Ok, I keep seeing people say “increased insulin sensitivity”, but isn’t this completely wrong? I thought that ALA was an insulin mimickier, which would mean that it performed the same actions as insulin. Therefore, it has nothing to do with body’s own insulin sensivity. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Being such an amazingly powerful and diverse antioxidant should be reason enough but the nutrient partitioning effects are very real. If anyone ever takes ove 500 mg at any given time with some carbs you feel the urge to go into a coma. Well maybe not a coma but you know that your blood sugar has been disposed of for sure. The method behind ALA is that it recruits more GLUT4 receptors to come to the membrane. More receptors at the membrane the more efficiently the glucose will disposed of into the cell, meaning… not as much insulin needed. The ALA does not actually act as Insulin… it acts synergistically with the cells increasing the receptor recruitment whcih will then coincide with higher insulin sensistivity.
For my purposes I believe ALA has been very helpful and I have taken it for a while just because of the antioxidant power it provides. Check it out
Alex
I am on a very low carb diet, with 75% of my carb intake post workout. To maximize this effect further would it be advantageous to take the ALA directly before lifting?
Take it before and after you work out. I believe ALA’s half-life is only about 30 minutes.
i mix it in my workout shake. that way i get a small dose everytime i take a sip. laters pk
This is actually about MD6. Does the ALA, yohimbine HCL, and caffeine give you a sudden metabolic punch? All of them seem to last a relatively short period of time… does it kick start the epherdra effects?