anyone taking ALA

[asecin]

i was unaware that EGCG absorption was so poor. i looked into it briefly. the only things that i found that *may* enhance absorption of EGCG were low-dose Caffeine, Quercetin and Piperine. take it with a grain of salt as i truly just skimmed these articles. Piperine appeared the most effective at increasing EGCG absorption. the problem is that Piperine can greatly throw off one's metabolism of a great many things. i will def. be looking into this whole deal more when i have time and provide citations and such. just wanted to bounce that info off you. .

so you rather take EGCG in powder extract than consume it as tea ? also, as far as i know quercetin is also poorly absorbed if able to be absorbed at all.
most importantly, can you explain to me what you meant by "the problem is that Piperine can greatly throw off one's metabolism of a great many things". i heard it can burn fat, but i didnt read anything about it.

 

[vvViolet]

also, as far as i know quercetin is also poorly absorbed if able to be absorbed at all.

i had no idea it was so poorly absorbed. i have some but have only used it a few times. actually, i don't really recall why i ever took it.

most importantly, can you explain to me what you meant by "the problem is that Piperine can greatly throw off one's metabolism of a great many things". i heard it can burn fat, but i didnt read anything about it.

i worded this awkwardly and totally left out the most important part. Piperine is a CYP3A4 inhibitor as well as a P-glycoprotein inhibitor. i meant the way one metabolizes drugs/supplements. if you take a lot of different things you're bound to have some sort of interaction here. again, the wording... my bad.


(PMID: 12130727)Piperine inhibits human P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4.
Piperine inhibited digoxin and cyclosporine A transport in Caco-2 cells with IC(50) values of 15.5 and 74.1 microM, respectively. CYP3A4-catalyzed formation of D-617 and norverapamil was inhibited in a mixed fashion, with K(i) values of 36 +/- 8 (liver 1)/49 +/- 6 (liver 2) and 44 +/- 10 (liver 1)/77 +/- 10 microM (liver 2), respectively. In summary, we showed that piperine inhibits both the drug transporter P-glycoprotein and the major drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP3A4. Because both proteins are expressed in enterocytes and hepatocytes and contribute to a major extent to first-pass elimination of many drugs, our data indicate that dietary piperine could affect plasma concentrations of P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4 substrates in humans, in particular if these drugs are administered orally.