Our Ocu-Plus Formula is a special supplement designed to help you help your vision. This formula is packed with eyesight enhancing nutrients. But take one look at the ingredient list and your head will be spinning. There are a few ingredients on the list that even I had no idea what they were before starting RYV. one of them is alpha-lipoic acid.
Try saying that four times fast.
Alpha-lipoic acid is an essential nutrient to keep your eyes healthy and prevent diseases and vision conditions. Today, we’ll take a look at what alpha-lipoic acid is, how it improves vision and helps the eyes, where it’s found, and the best ways to get it into your system.
Alpha-lipoic Acid: What Is It?
What is this highly scientific sounding acid? Don’t be fooled by the name; alpha-lipoic acid is actually just an antioxidant produced by the body. It is found in every cell of the body and is essential to your overall health.
As an antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid is used by the body to fight free radicals. You may have heard of the term “free radicals” before, on television or in your favorite fitness magazine, but they often offer little explanation as to what a free radical is. All we know is that they’re the antagonists in this story.
Knowing how free radicals and antioxidants (or alpha-lipoic acid) interact with each other is essential to understanding how they help your eyesight. And don’t worry; you don’t need to be a scientist to understand.
Free radicals form in the body when weak bonds split. The free radicals that result from this split try to attach themselves to another electron by attacking molecules. When this happens, the free radical will essentially steal the electron from whatever molecule is nearest.
At this point, the free radical has resolved its own issue. Which would be a cause to celebrate, however in the process of taking on molecule’s electron, the free radical subsequently formed another one. When one free radical disappears, another one appears. This sets off a chain reaction that if left to grow can cause the damage and death of entire cells.
This is where antioxidants, like alpha-lipoic acid come in. To stop the chain reaction, the body will use alpha-lipoic acid to neutralize the free radicals. To do this, the antioxidant will graciously donate one of their electrons to the free radical.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Your Eyes
This powerful antioxidant is the driving force behind keeping your eyes healthy as they age. Alpha-lipoic acid will prevent age-related eye diseases; most notably, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Whether you are young or old, everyone can benefit from this antioxidant.
First, let’s discuss what can cause free radicals in the eye. There are two main culprits: overexposure to sunlight and smoking. Both of these causes encourage oxidation and free radicals in the lens of the eye.
When this happens, the free radicals in your eye can cause the protein in the eye to clump. For those who haven’t read our posts on cataracts, cataracts are formed by a protein build up on the lens causing cloudiness and loss of vision. This can lead to numerous complications, including damage to the photoreceptor cells in the retina.
Alpha-lipoic acid fights the oxidation and free radicals in the eye to prevent that protein build up and cell damage. With no free radicals, your eyesight will be clear and will stay clear in the long run.
Eyes, unlike other body parts, are a hard thing to prevent from aging, but with a good dose of alpha-lipoic acid you’ll be on the right track towards a long span of healthy eyesight.
Where Is Alpha-lipoic Acid Found?
As mentioned before, alpha-lipoic acid is produced naturally by the body. Therefore it can be most commonly found in the body. But sometimes your body isn’t producing the amount of alpha-lipoic acid required to fight the free radicals.
This is especially true in smokers. The amount of free radicals being produced by this tired habit is far superior to the amount of alpha-lipoic acid being produced by the body. The body takes time to adapt, but sometimes it takes too long before permanent damage sets in.
The same can be applied to those who have let their eyes be overexposed to the sun. The overexposure happens quickly and before the body can account for what’s happening, the free radicals have begun to form.
When the body is low on alpha-lipoic acid, there is truly only one thing you can do: get it into your system. Our bodies have their plates full with a million other things, that we can all lend a hand and give our bodies a well needed health boost.
One way to do this is by ingesting a supplement. It’s easy, quick, and all natural. A lot of people will choose this option, especially those with busy jobs.
For those who like to cook, you can work alpha-lipoic acid enriched foods into your diet, for healthy eyes and a healthy body.
Alpha-lipoic Acid Food Sources
Alpha-lipoic acid can be found in a large variety of plants and animal based foods. However, it should be noted that most foods only contain a low amount of alpha-lipoic acid. If your body is unusually low on this antioxidant, you may want to consider combining a supplement with the following foods.
Here are our picks for top foods containing alpha-lipoic acid:
Spinach- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
- Yams
- Carrots
- Beets
- Rice bran
- Red meat (especially organ meat)
What a delicious list! There’s something on there for everyone, so there are no excuses why you shouldn’t be eating to enrich your eye health. If you aren’t convinced yet, a lot of these foods help your eyes in different ways. For example spinach is very high in vitamin A. Think of it as a two for one!
Alpha-lipoic acid is essential to everyone’s eye health, which is why we insist on having it in our Ocu-Plus Formula. It’ll help the body fight free radicals, which in time will prevent cataracts, AMD, and severe cell damage.