Alpha-Lipoic Acid
Of 3,022 on-market alpha-lipoic acid products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 50 mg, and 89.8% list unspecified/undisclosed form as the primary form.
Form share
Of 3,014 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of Alpha-Lipoic Acid on the market today.
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| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| unspecified/undisclosed form | Unrated | 2,707 | 89.8% |
| R-Lipoic acid (R-ALA, natural enantiomer, free acid) | Unrated | 189 | 6.3% |
| Racemic alpha-lipoic acid (R,S / DL / thioctic acid) | Unrated | 63 | 2.1% |
| Sodium R-lipoate (Na-R-ALA, stabilized R-lipoic acid) | Unrated | 55 | 1.8% |
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (mg), among 2,426 products with a disclosed amount.
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- 73.7% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (120 mg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 19.1% of products don't disclose an amount because Alpha-Lipoic Acid is declared inside a proprietary blend.
Where does your dose rank?
Enter a per-serving dose (mg) to see exactly how it compares to the 2,426 on-market alpha-lipoic acid products with a disclosed amount. The chart above groups doses into deciles; this looks up the exact percentile for one number.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
Search interest over time
How often people search for alpha-lipoic acid on Google, US only, the last 5 years. This is public interest, not DSLD label data — a spike here doesn't necessarily line up with anything on this page, and Google's own index (100 = that term's peak popularity in the chosen window) is relative, not an absolute search-volume count.
Or see this search directly on trends.google.com.
Forms explained
Label discloses only "Alpha-Lipoic Acid" with no R/S (racemic vs R-enantiomer) or salt specification; the commercial default is the racemic mixture but that is not stated on the label.
Equal mix of the natural R and the S enantiomer. Human comparisons with R-ALA are small: in a randomized crossover in 20 people with progressive MS, 600 mg R-LA gave R-LA AUC and Cmax bioequivalent to 1,200 mg racemic R,S-LA with fewer GI side effects (Cameron 2020); a pilot found variable, age-dependent differences (Keith 2012). No outcome trial compares the forms, so it is not ranked. The pharmaceutical (thioctic acid) tablet form also has PK data (Hermann 2014).
Source: Hermann R et al. 2014, Clin Pharmacol 6:195-204, PMID 25506250; Cameron M et al. 2020, J Clin Pharmacol 60(8):1099-1106, PMID 32212340; Keith DJ et al. 2012, Pharmacol Res 66(3):199-206, PMID 22609537
The naturally occurring enantiomer; the free acid is described as unstable/poorly soluble. In one randomized crossover (n=20, progressive MS), 600 mg R-LA was bioequivalent in R-LA AUC/Cmax to 1,200 mg racemic R,S-LA and caused fewer GI side effects (Cameron 2020); a pilot (Keith 2012) found variable, age-dependent differences. No outcome trial compares them, so it is not ranked.
Source: Cameron M et al. 2020, J Clin Pharmacol 60(8):1099-1106, PMID 32212340; Keith DJ et al. 2012, Pharmacol Res 66(3):199-206, PMID 22609537; Carlson DA et al. 2007, Altern Med Rev 12(4):343-351, PMID 18069903 (background statement; study itself tested the sodium salt)
One small (n=12) PK study, from the lab that had run the earlier preliminary study, reported significantly higher Cmax and AUC and shorter Tmax for the sodium salt than for R-lipoic acid or racemic ALA, but the comparison extends an earlier preliminary study, and no outcome trials exist -- insufficient to rank. Salt weight is ~10% above acid weight; labels usually declare acid equivalents, so amounts are used as declared.
Source: Carlson DA et al. 2007, Altern Med Rev 12(4):343-351, PMID 18069903
Reference values
- RDA (adult): not established — Endogenously synthesized cofactor, not classified as an essential nutrient; no RDA/AI exists.
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): not established — Not established -- no IOM/NASEM UL exists. In the SYDNEY 2 RCT (oral ALA 600/1200/1800 mg once daily x5 weeks) nausea, vomiting and vertigo increased in a dose-dependent manner (PMID 17065669) -- a tolerability signal from one short trial, not a UL.
- Studied clinical dose range: 600–1800 mg
- Ziegler D et al. 2006 (SYDNEY 2), Diabetes Care 29(11):2365-2370, PMID 17065669 -- multicenter double-blind RCT, n=181 diabetic patients with symptomatic distal symmetric polyneuropathy, oral ALA 600 mg (n=45), 1200 mg (n=47) or 1800 mg (n=46) once daily vs placebo (n=43) x5 weeks; Total Symptom Score fell 4.9/4.5/4.7 points vs 2.9 on placebo (all P<0.05); authors concluded 600 mg once daily gave the best risk-to-benefit ratio. Trial range, not a threshold: lower doses were not tested in this study.
- Note: Bare "ALA" is NOT aliased: in DSLD it is also alpha-linolenic acid (e.g. rows "ALA" with raw_form "Flaxseed Oil"). Racemic (R/S, "DL", "thioctic acid") vs the natural R-enantiomer (R-ALA) and its sodium salt (Na-R-ALA) are modeled as forms; all forms share the mg basis and a row named "Sodium R-Alpha Lipoic Acid" is counted at its declared weight (salt weight is ~10% above acid weight -- not corrected, since labels usually declare acid equivalents). Label rows in mcg are normalized to mg by the matcher.