The just published double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study
McMackin CJ, Widlansky ME, Hamburg NM, Huang AL, Weller S, Holbrook M,
Gokce N, Hagen TM, Keaney JF Jr, Vita JA.
Effect of Combined Treatment With alpha-Lipoic Acid and
Acetyl-L-Carnitine on Vascular Function and Blood Pressure in Patients
With Coronary Artery Disease.
J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007 Apr;9(4):249-55.
PMID: 17396066 [PubMed - in process]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?tmpl=NoSidebarfile&db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=17396066&dopt=Abstract>
of combined alpha-lipoic acid/acetyl-L-carnitine treatment of patients
with coronary artery disease statistically significantly increased
diameter of the brachial artery in the arm and reduced blood pressure
in subgroups with BP over the median or with metabolic syndrome. In
the whole group BP also tended to decrease, but the reduction just
missed the statistical significance (P=.07).
Abstract:
"Mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species that may
contribute to vascular dysfunction. alpha-Lipoic acid and
acetyl-L-carnitine reduce oxidative stress and improve
mitochondrial function. In a double-blind crossover study, the
authors examined the effects of combined alpha-lipoic
acid/acetyl-L-carnitine treatment and placebo (8 weeks per
treatment) on vasodilator function and blood pressure in 36
subjects with coronary artery disease. Active treatment
increased brachial artery diameter by 2.3% (P=.008), consistent
with reduced arterial tone. Active treatment tended to decrease
systolic blood pressure for the whole group (P=.07) and had a
significant effect in the subgroup with blood pressure above
the median (151+/-20 to 142+/-18 mm Hg; P=.03) and in the
subgroup with the metabolic syndrome (139+/-21 to 130+/-18 mm
Hg; P=.03). Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to
the regulation of blood pressure and vascular tone. Further
studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the
clinical utility of alpha-lipoic acid/acetyl-L-carnitine as
antihypertensive therapy. (J Clin Hypertens. 2007;9:249-255)."
--
Matti Narkia