Ingredient 2 of 6
Alpha Lipoic Acid in Flow Nerves: Two Reviews, Two Readings
Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is the second ingredient named for Flow Nerves, with no amount printed. A 2024 Cochrane review and a 2023 meta-analysis read the trials in diabetic neuropathy differently. Sources also say ALA can lower blood sugar, so ask a pharmacist first if you take diabetes medicine. No study tested this product.
Written by the Flow Nerves label deskUpdated
What it is
What is alpha lipoic acid, and how is it named for Flow Nerves?
Alpha lipoic acid is a compound the body makes in small amounts and that is also sold as a supplement, often shortened to ALA. The Flow Nerves sales page names alpha-lipoic acid second in its list of six ingredients and prints no amount for it.
This is the ingredient with the most human trials behind it, which makes it the easiest to misuse in marketing. A trial of one amount, in one group of people with one condition, says little about a capsule whose amount is hidden inside a blend. So we set out what the trials did, where two big reviews disagree, and what remains unknown. Our overview of all six is on the ingredients page.
Memorial Sloan Kettering describes ALA, its uses, side effects and cautions, and gives no amounts to the public (Memorial Sloan Kettering, Alpha-Lipoic Acid). Nothing in that page tests Flow Nerves.
The evidence
What do studies of alpha-lipoic acid say, and why do they disagree?
Two reviews looked at ALA taken by mouth in people with diabetic neuropathy and did not land in the same place. Both are fair readings of different sets of trials. We give both and pick neither.
| Cochrane review, 2024 | Nutrients meta-analysis, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Which trials | Only trials of 6 months or more: 3 trials, 816 people | Trials from about 3 weeks to 104 weeks, with dose subgroups |
| Amounts studied | 600 to 1,800 mg a day across the field | 600, 1,200 and 1,800 mg a day |
| Symptom score | Probably little or no effect at 6 months (moderate certainty) | More favorable symptom scores, with a dose-related trend |
| Other outcomes | May have little or no effect on impairment (low certainty) | More favorable disability and satisfaction scores; no difference in pain scale, vibration threshold or nerve conduction |
The Cochrane authors counted only the longest trials and graded how sure they were (Cochrane review, Alpha-lipoic acid for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (2024)). The 2023 authors pooled shorter and longer trials and split them by amount (Nutrients 2023 meta-analysis, Oral alpha-lipoic acid and diabetic polyneuropathy). Some trials began with intravenous ALA for several days to a few weeks, which a capsule does not copy. One example in the reviews is 600 mg twice daily for 6 months.
Longer, stricter trials found less. Wider pooling found more on some scores and nothing on others. Neither says what a capsule with an unknown amount of ALA, mixed with five other ingredients, would do for you. A trial of ALA at a stated amount tells you about that amount only.
Blood sugar
What is the caution about ALA and blood sugar medicine?
Memorial Sloan Kettering says ALA can lower blood sugar and advises talking to a provider if you take drugs that lower blood sugar. It also notes a possible additive effect with those drugs (Memorial Sloan Kettering, Alpha-Lipoic Acid).
That matters for anyone on insulin or tablets for diabetes, because a supplement that also lowers blood sugar could push a reading lower than planned. The Mayo Clinic page on supplements and diabetic neuropathy makes a general point: some supplements mix poorly with diabetes medicines (Mayo Clinic, Diabetic neuropathy: Can dietary supplements help?). Neither page says how much ALA causes the problem, and Flow Nerves prints no amount to compare.
So the rule on our interactions page is simple. Ask your pharmacist or doctor before the first capsule, and keep taking your prescribed medicine. Do not change a dose yourself because of a supplement. If you check your own readings, tell your clinician when you start anything new.
Shaking, sweating, confusion or fainting in someone who takes diabetes medicine can be a sign of very low blood sugar. Seek urgent medical care.
Other cautions
What other cautions come with an alpha-lipoic acid supplement?
The same Memorial Sloan Kettering page lists four more points. None of them is a finding about Flow Nerves, and some are rare.
Stomach effects
Nausea and vomiting are listed side effects.
Insulin autoimmune syndrome
The page mentions case reports of this condition, about 27, mostly in Japan. A case report shows a link was seen once, not how often it happens.
Cancer treatment
ALA may interfere with chemotherapy and radiation. Anyone in cancer care should show the ingredient list to their oncology team first.
Children
The page reports poisoning in children. Keep any supplement out of reach, as you would any medicine.
The FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold (FDA, Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements). That is true of every capsule here, and it is the reason we cite cautions rather than promise outcomes.
Flow Nerves: capsules, 30 per bottle2, 3 or 6 bottles · 60-day promise, confirm at checkout
See packsWhat is missing
What do the ALA trials not tell you about Flow Nerves?
They do not tell you the amount, the form, the people or the blend. Each gap alone is enough to stop a direct comparison.
The amount
Trials used 600, 1,200 or 1,800 mg a day. The sales page prints no amount, so nobody can say whether a capsule is near, above or far below any of them. We never guess.
The people
The reviews studied people with diabetic neuropathy. Most readers who find the sales page do not know what causes their symptoms, and many causes exist (NINDS, Peripheral Neuropathy). See diabetes and nerve health.
The blend
No trial combined ALA with magnesium glycinate, butcher's broom, L-carnitine, turmeric extract and coenzyme Q10. Any interaction among them is untested. Read how the blend works.
The label
We found no Supplement Facts panel, and we saw no lab report. The lot and CoA references the seller lists, FN-26/FL-7548 and FN-7548-26-FL, are the seller's own and are not lab proof.
The brand describes the capsule as “developed to provide straightforward nutritional support for your nerves”. That is the brand's wording. A trial of one ingredient at a stated amount does not turn it into a finding about the product. The sources are compared on our claims versus evidence page.
Before you decide
Who should ask a clinician before taking ALA in a blend?
Anyone on diabetes medicine, anyone in cancer treatment, anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, and anyone with symptoms that have no known cause.
Numbness, tingling, burning, weakness, foot wounds or bladder and bowel changes need a clinician, not a supplement. Bring the sales-page ingredient list and a list of every medicine you take; the FDA suggests keeping such a list for exactly this reason (FDA, Mixing Medications and Dietary Supplements Can Endanger Your Health). Adults 18 and over are the stated users, and your own bottle's directions come first.
If you still want to order, the packs and the 60-day promise are on the pricing page: Order Flow Nerves. This site is the information site of a U.S. retail partner and earns money from those links. Confirm the price, shipping and guarantee at checkout.
FAQ
Flow Nerves questions people ask
What is alpha-lipoic acid?
It is a compound the body makes in small amounts, also sold as a supplement and often shortened to ALA. Flow Nerves names it second among six ingredients and prints no amount for it.
Does alpha-lipoic acid work for nerve symptoms?
Reviews disagree. A 2024 Cochrane review found probably little or no effect on symptoms at 6 months. A 2023 meta-analysis reported more favorable symptom scores. Both studied people with diabetic neuropathy, and no study tested Flow Nerves.
How much ALA is in Flow Nerves?
We do not know. The sales page prints no milligram amount for any ingredient. Trials used 600, 1,200 and 1,800 mg a day, but we cannot say how a capsule compares.
Can I take ALA with diabetes medicine?
Ask a pharmacist or doctor first. Memorial Sloan Kettering says ALA can lower blood sugar and advises talking to a provider if you take drugs that lower blood sugar. Keep taking prescribed medicine.
What are the side effects of ALA?
Nausea and vomiting are listed. Case reports describe insulin autoimmune syndrome, mostly in Japan, and ALA may interfere with chemotherapy and radiation. Poisoning in children is reported.
Why do the Cochrane review and the meta-analysis disagree?
They counted different trials. Cochrane limited itself to trials of 6 months or more and graded certainty. The 2023 analysis pooled shorter and longer trials and split them by amount.
Is the alpha-lipoic acid in Flow Nerves tested?
No lab report was shown to us. The lot and CoA references are the seller's own and are not lab proof. No source tested this product.
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the sales page and linked NIH, CDC, FDA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is the information site of a U.S. retail partner for Flow Nerves. It is not the manufacturer, and it is not the sales page where orders are placed. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
Keep reading
More about Flow Nerves
U.S. retail partner
Ready to try Flow Nerves?
Read the ingredient list, check with your pharmacist if you take any medicine, then pick a pack. Every pack comes with a 60-day satisfaction promise; confirm the live policy at checkout.
- Order on the sales page
- 60-day promise (confirm)
- Shipping shown at checkout