Alpha lipoic acid is a prime example of the advances that nutritional science has made in recent years. We tell you everything about the scientifically proven weight loss effect of lipoic acid.
What exactly is lipoic acid?
Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant that plays an important role in energy metabolism. The sulphur-containing fatty acid also neutralizes free radicals and thus slows down the aging process in the body. However, alpha lipoic acid has now come into focus mainly because of its effect on weight loss.
Scientists at Oregon State University in the US have shown that lipoic acid has a positive effect on weight loss. The researchers found that people who regularly consumed alpha lipoic acid clearly lost body fat and weight. According to the researchers, people who are very overweight and women in particular benefit from lipoic acid.
But why exactly is that? Normally, the body only produces a minimum of lipoic acid to meet the needs of the enzymes involved in energy metabolism. If you take additional alpha-lipoic acid, the fatty acid also has a positive influence on glucose metabolism, an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory effect.
Lipoic acid as a dietary supplement?
Although this assumption is still sufficiently proven, the US researchers assume that alpha-lipoic acid also has positive effects on diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or age-related cognitive impairments such as senility. According to Gerd Bobe from the research team, people who took lipoic acid showed significantly greater success in losing weight.
As a dietary supplement, the fatty acid is mainly available in pill form. A regular intake of alpha lipoic acid pills should also have a significant effect. The only downside to the pills is the higher price, according to Tory Hagen, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Oregon. But this cannot be said in general, since you can get 60 pills for less than 20 euros.
Other areas of application
However, alpha lipoic acid does not only work when you lose weight. As a powerful antioxidant, it is also used to treat some forms of dementia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Lipoic acid is also used in cancer therapy, in heart and liver diseases or in metabolic disorders.
In general, a daily dosage of 100 to 300 mg of alpha lipoic acid is recommended. However, you should always speak to your family doctor first before treatment or dietary supplementation with alpha-lipoic acid and coordinate the dose exactly.