Pharmaceutical science offers a large number of weight loss products, many of which have many contraindications, and to decide on such a therapy, you need to seriously consider whether it is worth risking your health. Medical studies have shown that vitamin supplements, which have almost no contraindications, can help you lose weight. One of them is lipoic acid for weight loss - this drug has not been used for a long time, but it is believed that people who take it have good results.
How does this vitamin affect weight loss? Women who want to lose weight simply decide on different experiences to achieve the goal they want. They study the internet and medical literature in the hope of finding the magic pill to lose weight. Lipoic acid is generally not a magic pill, but a complete medicine. Other names for this vitamin: thioctoside, alpha lipoic acid. This substance is found in food and is produced spontaneously by the human body, but is insufficient until a certain age. Because thioctoside is a powerful antioxidant, a person can be severely deficient under certain conditions.
Indications for use of lipoic acid
Lipoic acid is included in the complex therapy of diabetic complications. In the past, drugs containing this vitamin were used in many countries to treat autoimmune diseases and atherosclerosis, but, unfortunately, the effectiveness of such therapy has not been confirmed in practice. However, its positive effect on a number of diseases has been proven, which has resulted in a stable result.
This vitamin is prescribed in the complex treatment:
- liver diseases, including hepatitis and cirrhosis;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- old age dementia;
- diabetes mellitus;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- oncology;
- poisoning;
- obesity;
- alcoholism.
Thioctoside for weight loss is prescribed because it is actively involved in carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and this is of great importance for maintaining good physical shape.
Attention! Lipoic acid therapy for weight loss will be effective only when accompanied by dietary adjustments and exercise.
The tool begins the process of burning fat, which can not begin without physical activity. When muscles are active, they need nutrients and begin to absorb vitamins and minerals from the body, but they may not be enough. Lipoic acid helps replenish energy reserves and increases endurance, making training more effective.
Expert opinion
Dietitian:
If you study the official instructions, you can learn that it is an alpha lipoic acid with EDTA. Officially, the drug is indicated for polyneuropathy, fatty degeneration of the liver, as well as chronic intoxication of the body. Unlike L-carnitine, this substance is not produced in our body and is therefore a drug with a strong antioxidant effect. Its task is to stop lipid peroxidation and so-called oxidative stress. Therefore, it has found application among those who like to lose weight: in the end, the reduction of diet and the use of their lipids as an energy source primarily leads to an increase in free radical oxidation, as well as oxidative stress. However, as with everything, the use of drugs has side effects. The drug can cause changes in taste or impairment, double vision, hemorrhagic rash, a decrease in plasma glucose with the possible development of hypoglycemic conditions. In some cases, allergic reactions, skin rashes and hives have been described. Official guidelines state that the drug should not be used even if prescribed before the age of 18, as there is no information on its effectiveness and safety. It should also not be taken by pregnant or lactating mothers. In case of overdose of this drug, the symptoms usually occur in the form of vomiting, nausea and headache. Therefore, the use of thioctic acid as a dietary and weight loss aid is not recommended. After all, there are no official instructions for such use of the drug.
Release forms
Lipoic acid is available in tablets, capsules, suspension powders and injectable solutions. This substance is also found in various medicines.
Attention! Lipoic acid drugs should not be used without consulting an endocrinologist!
Thioctoside is often an ingredient in dietary supplements for athletes and people who want to lose weight.
Weight Loss Benefits
Most weight loss drugs burn fat, unlike lipoic acid, which works differently in the body.
Attention! During the burning of fats with the help of drugs, harmful substances are formed in the human body and metabolic processes are disrupted, lipoic acid, on the contrary, heals the body!
Thioctocid has the following properties:
- activates metabolism and improves them;
- it is not produced synthetically because it is a natural substance;
- there are almost no contraindications;
- side effects when taking lipoic acid are very rare;
- When taking lipoic acid, fasting is not required to achieve the desired weight loss;
- does not have a fat-burning effect, but allows the body to use fats by converting them into energy;
- is a relatively inexpensive drug;
- moves in a complex way in the body, not only helps to lose weight, but also makes it healthy;
- has a positive effect on the production of collagen in the skin, so there will be no signs of sagging and stretching in the process of weight loss;
- Unlike other weight loss drugs, the drug can be used even by diabetics.
Lipoic acid helps the body to cope with many diseases, has a positive effect on vision, heart and lowers blood sugar. Due to the many positive qualities of this drug, many people choose it to lose weight.
Mechanism of action
Lipoic acid not only has a positive effect on the activity of the body as a whole, this drug affects weight loss. This is because this vitamin works as follows:
- reduces the activity of harmful substances and their impact on the body;
- removes radionuclides, heavy metals, toxins and decay products;
- stimulates the process of burning sugar by the body and normalizes its amount in the blood;
- has a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels;
- stimulates the thyroid gland;
- reduces the symptoms of diabetic pathologies, including neuropathy;
- prevents the formation of plaques in blood vessels;
- restores damaged nerve endings;
- significantly reduces appetite;
- stimulates the activity of the liver, restores damaged cells;
- affects the regeneration of tissues in the body, significantly rejuvenates them.
As a result of lipoic acid intake, unlike other drugs for weight loss, metabolic processes are not disrupted, but rather activated. Harmful substances are easily eliminated and fat cells are converted into energy and provide the body with useful nutrients.
Attention! Lipoic acid is widely used in dietary supplements for bodybuilders because it allows the body to better cope with strenuous physical activity and relieves pain after strenuous exercise.
Thioctacid has the ability to inhibit the action of the protein enzyme enzyme, which signals the brain to start eating. Thus, a 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
Although thioctoside is a vitamin preparation, it is a drug. Therefore, it is better if a nutritionist tells you how to take lipoic acid to lose weight, and prescribes a certain dose and course of this drug. The fact is that the effectiveness of lipoic acid intake directly depends on the correct calculation of its average daily norm. The fact is that an overdose of this drug can damage the body and cause hypoglycemia - a condition in which blood sugar levels are much lower than normal.
Attention! The daily norm of lipoic acid should not exceed 600 mg - this degree is prescribed for severe diabetes, a maximum of 200 mg is prescribed for weight loss!
Weight loss depends on how well you drink alpha-lipoic acid, so your doctor should calculate the dose individually. The minimum dose of lipoic acid in one dose is 25 mg, if you need to lose more than 5 kg, the dose is increased to 50 mg. You can start taking this drug in a dose of no more than 20 mg, then gradually increase.
To increase the effectiveness of thioctoside for weight loss is taken:
- at breakfast (before or immediately after meals);
- not later than half an hour after playing sports;
- before going to bed.
The effect of the drug will be more effective if its intake is accompanied by the consumption of foods high in carbohydrates. For example, cereals, legumes, sweet fruits or bread. Lipoic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates into fat deposits, but replenishes a person's energy reserves.
Lipoic acid and other drugs
In some drugs, this substance is called L-carnitine, which is practically the same. This substance is an acid that helps to expend energy from the synthesis of fats and the breakdown products of metabolic processes. When buying a weight loss agent, you should pay attention to whether it contains levocarnitine and lipoic acid, if it contains these substances, then it is a highly effective complex agent.
Contraindications
Lipoic acid is not recommended for children, pregnant women and people with allergies to it. This result was obtained from clinical trials.
Attention! Often, many people who do not know the correct dose of alpha lipoic acid significantly exceed the rate of its use in the hope of getting rid of nervous kg quickly, which leads to side effects.
As a result, people suffer:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- heartburn.
Sometimes patients adhere to the exact dose of the drug, but are concerned about side effects. This occurs with the simultaneous administration of alcohol or iron-containing drugs. Therefore, you should carefully study the instructions for use of lipoic acid and consult a doctor on how to take it properly.