Alpha-Lipoic Acid for Weight Loss

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Are you struggling to lose weight and manage your diabetes? You may have heard of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a naturally occurring antioxidant that’s been touted as a weight loss and diabetes aid.

But does it really work, and are there any side effects you should be aware of? In this blog post, we’ll dive into the research behind ALA and its potential benefits and risks for weight loss and diabetes management.

What is Alpha-Lipoic Acid?

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring compound found in the body that serves as a cofactor for several enzymes involved in energy metabolism. It is also an antioxidant that helps to neutralize harmful free radicals in the body.

Our body needs some ALA to function, and in most cases, if you’re healthy, your body will produce enough ALA for you to use.

One of the unique features of ALA is its ability to function in both water-soluble and fat-soluble environments, which means it can protect cells throughout the body, including the brain, from oxidative damage.

Types of ALA

There are two forms of alpha-lipoic acid: R-ALA and S-ALA. R-ALA is the natural form of ALA that is produced in the body and is also the form that is typically found in food. S-ALA is a synthetic form of ALA that is often found in supplements.

R-ALA is generally considered to be the more biologically active form of ALA, meaning that it is more easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Some studies have suggested that R-ALA may be more effective than S-ALA at improving insulin sensitivity and reducing inflammation.

Supplements often contain a 50/50 mixture of R-ALA and S-ALA. Some supplements may specify which form of ALA they contain, while others may not. However, it’s worth noting that many supplements that claim to contain R-ALA may still contain a mix of R-ALA and S-ALA, as it can be difficult and expensive to isolate R-ALA.

If you’re considering taking an ALA supplement, it’s important to choose a reputable brand and look for third-party testing to ensure purity and potency.

ALA in foods

Alpha-lipoic acid is found naturally in some foods, although it is generally present in small amounts. Some foods that are relatively high in ALA include:

• Organ meats, such as liver and kidney
• Red meat, particularly beef and pork
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Peas
• Brussels sprouts
• Rice bran
• Brewer’s yeast
• Carrots

While these foods contain ALA, it’s worth noting that the amount of ALA can vary widely depending on factors such as growing conditions and processing methods. Additionally, cooking and processing can reduce the amount of ALA in food.

As a result, it may be difficult to get enough ALA from food alone, and ALA supplements may be a more reliable source.

How are ALA supplements made?

Alpha-lipoic acid supplements are typically manufactured using synthetic or natural sources. Natural sources of ALA include plants such as spinach, broccoli, and potatoes. However, it can be difficult to extract ALA from these sources in large enough quantities to produce supplements, so synthetic ALA is often used instead.

The manufacturing process for synthetic ALA involves a series of chemical reactions. The starting material is usually a compound called octanoic acid, which is reacted with thionyl chloride to form octanoyl chloride. This is then reacted with sodium sulfide to produce 1,2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid, which is further processed to yield the final product, alpha-lipoic acid.

Benefits for weight loss

Alpha-lipoic acid has been studied for its potential to aid in weight loss in several ways:

• Boosting metabolism: ALA may help increase metabolic rate, which can lead to increased calorie burning and weight loss.
• Improving insulin sensitivity: ALA has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which can help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent the overproduction of insulin, a hormone that can contribute to weight gain.
• Reducing inflammation: Chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain and obesity. ALA has antioxidant properties that can help reduce inflammation in the body, potentially aiding in weight loss.
• Suppressing appetite: Some studies have suggested that ALA may help reduce appetite and food intake, which can lead to weight loss.

Other health benefits

Other than weight loss, alpha-lipoic acid has been studied for a variety of potential health benefits, including:

• Diabetic neuropathy: ALA has been shown to improve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that can occur in people with diabetes.
• Diabetes management: ALA may help improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, potentially reducing the need for medication.
• Cognitive decline: Some studies have suggested that ALA may help improve cognitive function in older adults, potentially reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
• Cardiovascular health: ALA may help improve cardiovascular health by reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, and lowering blood pressure.
• Alcohol-related liver disease: ALA has been shown to have protective effects on the liver, potentially helping to prevent or treat liver damage caused by alcohol consumption.
• Radiation-induced skin damage: ALA may help reduce skin damage caused by radiation therapy in cancer patients.

Side effects

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) supplements are generally considered safe for most people when taken as directed. However, some people may experience side effects, including:

• Gastrointestinal issues: Some people may experience stomach upset, nausea, or diarrhea when taking ALA supplements.
• Skin rash: Rarely, people may develop a skin rash or hives after taking ALA supplements.
• Low blood sugar: ALA may lower blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous for people with diabetes who are taking medication to lower their blood sugar levels.
• Interference with thyroid function: Some studies have suggested that ALA may interfere with thyroid function, so people with thyroid disorders should speak with their healthcare provider before taking ALA supplements.

Things like heartburn or nausea are more common if you’re taking ALA on an empty stomach. Taking ALA supplements with food sometimes helps with these symptoms.

Rarely, some people also experience headaches or dizziness, particularly at higher doses. So you should ask your doctor first if you plan to take a higher dose of ALA, since it can cause some unpleasant side effects.

Interaction with medications

ALA supplements can potentially interact with several medications, including:

• Insulin and other diabetes medications: ALA may lower blood sugar levels, so taking it along with medications that lower blood sugar levels can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
• Thyroid hormone medications: Some studies suggest that ALA may interfere with thyroid function, so taking it along with thyroid hormone medications may reduce the effectiveness of these medications.
• Chemotherapy drugs: ALA may interfere with the effectiveness of some chemotherapy drugs, so people undergoing chemotherapy should speak with their healthcare provider before taking ALA supplements.

How effective is it for weight loss?

Research suggests that taking alpha-lipoic acid supplements in doses of 300-1800mg per day for 2-48 weeks can modestly reduce body weight and body mass index by up to 0.5 kg/m2 compared to taking a placebo.

In a study of adolescents aged 10-17 years, taking 300mg of alpha-lipoic acid twice daily for three months resulted in a weight loss of 3.2 kg, but did not affect blood lipids or fasting blood glucose.

However, another study in children aged 8-16 years did not find any improvements in body weight or other health outcomes. This study may have been too small to detect a difference.

So there is actually some evidence that taking ALA does appear to help with weight loss. However, the large differences in the amounts of weight being lost and the effective dosage makes it difficult to predict how effective it might be.

Patients lost anywhere from 1 to 5 pounds over 2 to 48 weeks of taking it. That’s a huge range. The dosing also varied from 300 mg to 1800 mg per day.

So although most research studies seem to agree that ALA does appear to affect weight loss, many of them find it hard to agree on a standard effective dosage and the amount of weight that you might lose.

It’s likely that only higher doses of 1000 to 1500 mg per day would significantly affect weight loss, and even then, you’re probably looking at around 5 pounds of additional weight lost over a few months.

Also, ALA likely benefits those with diabetes most, as the antioxidant effects of ALA help to reduce inflammation and damage from high blood sugars, potentially supporting healthy weight loss in these populations.

From personal experience, I don’t see great effects from patients who are just taking ALA for losing weight. But many patients also don’t typically want to go above 1000 mg per day, since it starts to cause them problems like heartburn issues.

How to use it for weight loss

If you have diabetes, and have co-morbidities related to diabetes like neuropathy, alpha-lipoic acid can be beneficial not only potentially to you weight, but also to your health.

However, you should understand that you’ll probably need to take a high enough dose to achieve any weight loss effects, and in many cases, taking higher doses of ALA will begin to cause unwanted side effects.

You’ll need to ask yourself whether the discomfort and cost of taking these higher doses is worth the small amount of extra weight being lost, especially since higher doses also tend to be a little pricey, and you’ll likely need to take it for a few months for it to have any significant effects on your weight.

If you do decide to take ALA for weight loss, here are some additional tips:

• Take ALA with meals: Taking ALA with meals can improve its absorption and effectiveness, as well as help to mitigate some of the gastrointestinal side effects.
• Combine ALA with exercise: Studies have shown that combining ALA supplementation with regular exercise can improve weight loss results.

Top supplement choices

• Alpha Lipoic Acid – 1 to 3 caps / day

Learn more about

• 6 Weight Loss Tips for Type 2 Diabetes
• Other weight loss supplements

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