People with pain of unknown causes who took alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) experienced less pain than a placebo group, a double-blind study in the December 2021 issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy revealed.¹

According to the study authors, these findings suggest that this three-decades-old ingredient might be a viable option for patients with unknown causes of joint, muscle or nerve pain. “The use of ALA…represents an interesting option, especially in primary pain with unknown etiology where no specifically-targeted drug can be selected, and where symptomatic drugs may not always be effective but may be associated with serious adverse effects under prolonged treatment,” wrote Cristina Esposito of University of Naples Federico II and associates.

This isn’t the first study to connect ALA, which occurs in small amounts in foods and is made in the body, to relief of various types of acute and chronic pain.  Previous research has linked ALA intake with improvements in pain among patients with migraine, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and burning mouth syndrome. It’s also been shown to relieve neuropathic symptoms, including pain, in people with diabetes.

This most recent trial enrolled 210 nondiabetic men and women with mild or moderate joint pain, neuropathic pain or muscle pain of unknown cause. Participants received 800 mg or 400 mg ALA per day or a daily placebo.  The results? People who received ALA had a significant improvement in their pain after two months of intake, while the placebo group didn’t report a difference. Further analysis did not find a difference in pain relief among the different types of idiopathic pain – ALA was similarly effective for all sources of pain considered. It was also shown to be safe and well-tolerated.

“The management of idiopathic pain is a real challenge for physicians, as they cannot treat the causes underlying this symptom but can only relieve the pain with the use of symptomatic drugs which generally have a good and rapid efficacy, although in some cases possess limited efficacy and considerable side effects,” the authors noted. “Thus, in the absence of a diagnosis of pain-causing disease, the use of ALA…which according to current legislation is not intended to treat or prevent diseases in humans and is addressed towards the general population, could be considered as a feasible option both in the context of general practice and in specialist settings where appropriate, bearing in mind the safety of ALA…in comparison with that of commonly-used analgesic drugs and its efficacy in pain treatment.”