Pharmaceutical science offers a large number of weight loss products, most of which have many contraindications, and in order to decide on this therapy, you need to seriously think about whether it's worth risking your health. Medical research has shown that vitamin preparations, which have almost no contraindications, can help reduce weight. One of them is lipoic acid for weight loss - this medicine has not been used for a long time, but judging by the reviews, people who take it have had good results.
How does this vitamin affect weight loss? Women who dream of losing weight opt for several experiments, just to reach the desired goal. They study the Internet and medical literature, hoping to find a magic pill to lose weight. Lipoic acid is not a magic pill, but a complete drug. Other names for this vitamin: thioctocide, alpha lipoic acid. This substance is found in food and produced by the human body on its own, but with age it becomes insufficient. Since thioctocide is a strong antioxidant, a person can be severely deficient under certain conditions.
Indications for the use of lipoic acid
Lipoic acid is included in the complex therapy of diabetic complications. Previously, in many countries, drugs containing this vitamin were used to treat autoimmune diseases and atherosclerosis, but unfortunately, in practice, the effectiveness of this therapy has not been confirmed. But its positive effect on a number of diseases has been proven, in which a stable result has been achieved.
This vitamin is prescribed in complex treatments:
- liver diseases, including hepatitis and cirrhosis;
- nervous system diseases;
- senile dementia;
- diabetes mellitus;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- oncology;
- poisoning;
- obesity;
- alcoholism.
To lose weight, thioctocide is prescribed because it has an active participation in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, being of great importance for the maintenance of good physical shape.
Heads up! Lipoic acid therapy for weight loss will only be effective when accompanied by dietary adjustments and exercise.
The tool starts the fat burning process, which doesn't start without physical activity. When muscles are actively working, they need nutrients and begin to attract vitamins and minerals from the body, but they may not be enough. Lipoic acid helps to replenish energy reserves and increases a person's stamina, making training more effective.
Opinion of an 'expert
Nutritionist:
If you study the official instructions, you may find that it is an alpha lipoic acid salt with EDTA. Officially, the drug is indicated for polyneuropathy, fatty degeneration of the liver, in addition to chronic intoxication of the body. This substance, unlike L-carnitine, is not produced in our body and is therefore a drug with a strong antioxidant effect. Its task is to stop lipid peroxidation and the so-called oxidative stress. That's why it found its application among weight loss lovers: after all, a decrease in diet and the use of lipids themselves as energy sources first lead to an increase in free radical oxidation as well as oxidative stress. However, like everything else, drug use has side effects. The drug may cause taste alteration or violation, double vision, hemorrhagic rash, drop in plasma glucose with possible development of hypoglycemic conditions. In some cases, allergic reactions, rashes and urticaria have been described. Official instructions say that before the age of 18 the drug is not used even if indicated, as there are no data on efficacy and safety. Also, it should not be taken by pregnant and nursing mothers. In case of an overdose of this remedy, symptoms usually occur in the form of vomiting, nausea and headache. Therefore, the use of thioctic acid as an aid in diet and weight loss is not recommended. After all, there are no official indications for this drug use.
Forms of issuance
Lipoic acid is available in tablets, capsules, powdered suspensions and solutions for injection. This substance is also found in many medications.
Heads up! Lipoic acid preparations should not be used without consulting an endocrinologist!
Thioctocide is often a component of dietary supplements for athletes and people wanting to lose weight.
weight loss benefits
Most weight-loss drugs burn fat, unlike lipoic acid, which works differently in the body.
Heads up! During the burning of fats with the help of medicines, harmful substances are formed in the human body and the metabolic processes are interrupted, lipoic acid, on the contrary, heals the body!
The thioctocide has the following qualities:
- activates metabolism and improves them;
- it is not synthetically produced as it is a natural substance;
- has almost no contraindications;
- side effects when taking lipoic acid are very rare;
- Fasting is not necessary to achieve the desired weight loss while taking lipoic acid;
- does not have a fat-burning effect, but by turning fats into energy, it allows the body to use them up;
- it is a relatively inexpensive medicine;
- acts on the body in a complex way, not only contributing to weight loss, but also making it healthy;
- positively affects the production of collagen in the skin, therefore, during the weight loss process, there will be no sagging and stretch marks;
- the drug can even be used by diabetics, unlike other weight-loss drugs.
Lipoic acid helps the body deal with many illnesses, has a positive effect on vision, the heart, and lowers blood sugar. Due to the fact that this medication has so many positive qualities, many people choose it to lose weight.
Mechanism of action
Lipoic acid not only has a positive effect on the functioning of the body as a whole, it also affects weight loss. This is because this vitamin works in the following way:
- reduces the activity of harmful substances and their effects on the body;
- removes radionucleotides, heavy metals, toxins and decomposition products;
- stimulates the body's process of burning sugar and normalizes its amount in the blood;
- has a beneficial effect on blood vessel walls;
- stimulates thyroid gland function;
- reduces symptoms of diabetic conditions, including neuropathy;
- prevents the formation of plaque in blood vessels;
- restores damaged nerve endings;
- significantly reduces appetite;
- stimulates liver activity, restores your damaged cells;
- affects the regeneration of body tissues, significantly rejuvenating them.
As a result of ingesting lipoic acid, unlike other weight loss drugs, metabolic processes are not disturbed but rather activated. Harmful substances are easily eliminated and fat cells are converted into energy, providing the body with useful nutrition.
Heads up! Lipoic acid is very often used in dietary supplements for bodybuilders as it allows the body to handle strenuous physical activity better and relieves pain after exhausting workouts.
Thioctacid has the ability to block the action of the proteincanase enzyme, which signals the brain to start eating. Thus, the person does not feel hungry. In addition, this substance improves the absorption of vitamins A and E, which are considered youth vitamins.
Instructions for use
Thioctocide, although it is a vitamin preparation, is a medicine. Therefore, it will be better if the nutritionist tells you how to take lipoic acid to lose weight, prescribes a specific dosage of this medicine and a course. The fact is, the effectiveness of your lipoic acid intake is directly dependent on the correct calculation of your average daily rate. The fact is that an overdose of this medicine can harm the body and cause hypoglycemia - a condition in which the blood sugar level is far below normal.
Heads up! The daily rate of lipoic acid should not exceed 600 mg - this rate is defined for severe diabetes, for weight loss it is defined as a maximum of 200 mg!
Weight loss is directly dependent on how well you drink alpha lipoic acid, so your doctor will need to calculate your dose individually. The minimum dose of lipoic acid per dose is 25 mg, if it is necessary to lose more than 5 kg of weight, the dose is increased to 50 mg. You can start taking this medicine with a dose of no more than 20 mg, then it is increased gradually.
To increase the effectiveness of thioctocide for weight loss, you should:
- at breakfast (before meals or immediately after);
- no more than half an hour after playing sports;
- before bedtime.
The drug's effect will be more effective if its ingestion is accompanied by the consumption of foods that contain a large amount of carbohydrates. For example cereals, vegetables, sweet fruits or breads. Lipoic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates into fat deposits, but a person's energy stores are replenished.
Lipoic Acid and Other Drugs
In some preparations, this substance is called L-carnitine, which is practically the same. This substance is an acid that promotes the expenditure of energy obtained from the synthesis of fats and the removal of decomposition products from metabolic processes. When purchasing a slimming agent, one should pay attention to the presence of levocarnitine and lipoic acid in its composition; if these substances are present in it, it is a complex and high-effect agent.
Contraindications for use
Lipoic acid is not recommended for children, pregnant women and people allergic to it. This conclusion was drawn from clinical trials.
Heads up! Many times, many weight-losers who do not know the correct dosage of alpha lipoic acid, in hopes of quickly getting rid of those uncomfortable pounds, significantly exceed their usage rate, which leads to side effects.
People suffer as a result:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- heartburn.
Sometimes patients adhere to the exact dosage of medication but are concerned about side effects. This happens with the simultaneous ingestion of alcohol or iron-containing preparations. Therefore, you should carefully study the instructions for use of lipoic acid and consult a doctor to find out how to take it correctly.