To investigate the effect of lipoic acid on the sense of smell, the German researchers monitored a group of 23 individuals (median age 57; range 22–79) who had olfactory dysfunction following viral infection of the upper respiratory tract.1 Four of the patients suffered from complete loss of smell (anosmia), while 19 reported a reduced loss (hyposmia); the average duration of the loss was 14 months (range 4–33 months). All patients received the same treatment—600 mg/day of lipoic acid for an average of 4.5 months (range 3–11 months)—and all were subjected to a trio of standardized olfactory tests before and after the treatment period.

The tests employed were: odor threshold (establishing the lowest concentration at which a certain molecule, phenylethyl alcohol, could be detected); odor discrimination(identifying which of three odors was distinct from the other two, using a battery of 16 different odor combinations); and odor identification (identifying 16 different odors based on written descriptors). The results of these tests were combined into a single number—the “threshold, discrimination, and identification,” or TDI, score—which is used to evaluate the degree of olfactory dysfunction.

Lipoic Acid Improves Sense of Smell

Following treatment with lipoic acid, most of the patients showed significant improvement in their ability to detect and distinguish odors. Based on individual TDI scores, six patients (26%) exhibited “moderate improvement” over the study period, while eight patients (35%) showed “remarkable improvement.” Olfactory function remained unchanged in seven patients (30%), while two patients (9%) exhibited a further decline in function. Overall, the improvements were more pronounced in the younger individuals than in those over 60, and the younger they were, the more they benefited.

With lipoic acid, 26% of the
patients exhibited “moderate
improvement,” while 35% showed
“remarkable improvement” in
tests of olfactory function.

The authors caution that because this was an uncontrolled trial (no patients received placebo instead of lipoic acid), further studies are required to verify the results, especially given the fact that spontaneous recovery may occur in some individuals over time. Nonetheless, they believe that lipoic acid offers some patients a distinct advantage in recovering their sense of smell, claiming that “. . . the present results indicate that lipoic acid may be helpful in patients with post-URTI [upper respiratory tract infection] olfactory loss . . . .”

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