Pharmaceutical science offers a large number of weight loss products, most of which have many contraindications, and to decide on such a therapy, you need to seriously think about whether it is worth risking your health. Medical research has shown that vitamin preparations, which have almost no contraindications, can help with weight loss. One of them is lipoic acid for weight loss - this drug has been used not long ago, but based on reviews, people who take it have achieved good results.
How does this vitamin affect weight loss? Women who dream of losing weight decide on various experiments, just to achieve the desired goal. They scoured the Internet and studied the medical literature, hoping to find a magical weight loss pill. Lipoic acid is not a magic pill at all, but a complete cure. Other names for this vitamin: thioctocid, alpha lipoic acid. This substance is found in food and is produced by the human body on its own, but at a certain age it becomes insufficient. Because thioctocide is a powerful antioxidant, a person may experience severe deficiency under certain circumstances.
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 such therapy has not been confirmed. But its positive effects on several diseases have been proven, where stable results have been achieved.
This vitamin is prescribed in the complex treatment:
- liver diseases, including hepatitis and cirrhosis;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- senile dementia;
- diabetes mellitus;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- oncology;
- poisoning;
- obesiti;
- alcoholism.
For weight loss, thioctocid is prescribed due to the fact that it takes an active part in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, and this is very important for maintaining good physical shape.
Attention! Lipoic acid therapy for weight loss will only be effective when it is accompanied by diet and exercise adjustments.
This tool starts the fat burning process, which would not have started without physical activity. When muscles are actively working, they need nutrients, and they begin to draw vitamins and minerals from the body, but they may not be enough. Lipoic acid helps replenish energy reserves and increase a person’s endurance, making exercise more effective.
Expert opinion
Nutritionists:
If you study the official instructions, you can find out that this is an alpha lipoic acid salt with EDTA. Officially, the drug is indicated for polyneuropathy, fatty liver degeneration, as well as chronic body intoxication. This substance, unlike L-carnitine, is not produced in our body, and therefore is a drug with a strong antioxidant effect. Its job is to interfere with lipid peroxidation and what is called oxidative stress. That is why it has found its application among lovers of weight loss: after all, a decrease in diet and the use of lipids themselves as a source of energy first leads to a surge of free radical oxidation, as well as oxidative stress. However, like others, drug use has side effects. The drug can cause changes or violations of taste, double vision, hemorrhagic rash, decrease in plasma glucose with the possible development of hypoglycemic conditions. In some cases, allergic reactions, skin rashes and hives have been described. The official instructions say that before the age of 18, the drug is not used even when indicated, because there are no data on efficacy and safety. Also, it should not be taken by pregnant and lactating mothers. In case of overdose of this drug, symptoms usually occur in the form of vomiting, nausea and headache. Therefore, it is not recommended to use thioctic acid as an aid in diet and weight loss. After all, there is no official indication for the use of such drugs.
Issue form
Lipoic acid is available in tablets, capsules, suspension powders, and injectable solutions. This ingredient is also found in various medical products.
Attention! Lipoic acid preparations should not be used without consulting an endocrinologist!
Thioctocide is often a component of dietary supplements for athletes and people who want to lose weight.
Slimming Benefits
Most weight loss drugs burn fat, as opposed to lipoic acid, which works differently in the body.
Attention! During fat burning with the help of drugs, harmful substances are formed in the human body, and metabolic processes are disrupted, lipoic acid, in turn, heals the body!
Thioctocid has the following qualities:
- activate metabolism and repair it;
- not produced synthetically, as it is a natural material;
- almost no contraindications;
- side effects when taking lipoic acid are very rare;
- Fasting is not required to achieve the desired weight loss while taking lipoic acid;
- has no fat burning effect, but by processing fat into energy, it allows the body to use it;
- is a relatively inexpensive drug;
- acting on the body in a complex way, not only contributing to weight loss, but also making it healthy;
- has a positive effect on the production of collagen in the skin, therefore, during the process of weight loss, there will be no effect of sagging and stretching;
- the drug can also be used by diabetics, unlike other weight loss drugs.
Lipoic acid helps the body to cope with many diseases, has a positive effect on vision, heart and lowers blood sugar. Due to the fact that this drug has many positive qualities, many people choose it for weight loss.
Mechanism of action
Lipoic acid not only has a positive effect on overall body function, this drug affects weight loss. This is because this vitamin works in the following ways:
- reducing the activity of harmful substances and their effects on the body;
- remove radionucleides, 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 function of the thyroid gland;
- reduce the pathological symptoms of diabetes, including neuropathy;
- prevents the formation of plaque in the blood vessels;
- restore damaged nerve endings;
- significantly reduces appetite;
- stimulates liver activity, restores its damaged cells;
- affects tissue regeneration in the body, significantly rejuvenating it.
As a result of taking lipoic acid, unlike other drugs for weight loss, metabolic processes are not disrupted, but instead activated. Harmful substances are easily removed, and fat cells are converted into energy, providing the body with useful nutrients.
Attention! Lipoic acid is very often used in supplements for bodybuilders, as it allows the body to cope with strenuous physical activity better and relieves pain after strenuous workouts.
Thioctacids have the ability to block the action of the enzyme proteincanase, which signals the brain to start eating. Therefore, the person does not feel hungry. In addition, this substance increases the absorption of vitamins A and E, which are considered adolescent vitamins.
Instructions for use
Thioctocide, although a vitamin preparation, is a drug. Therefore, it is better if a nutritionist tells you how to take lipoic acid for weight loss, prescribe specific doses of this drug and course. The fact is that the effectiveness of lipoic acid intake directly depends on the correct calculation of its average daily rate. The fact is that an overdose of this drug can harm the body and cause hypoglycemia - a condition in which blood sugar levels are much lower than normal.
Attention! The daily rate of lipoic acid should be no more than 600 mg - this rate is set for severe diabetes, for weight loss it is set at a maximum of 200 mg!
Weight loss directly depends on how to drink alpha-lipoic acid properly, so doctors need to calculate the dose individually. The minimum dose of lipoic acid per dose is 25 mg, if you need to lose weight more than 5 kg, the dose is increased to 50 mg. You can start taking this drug with a dose of no more than 20 mg, then it is gradually increased.
To increase the effectiveness of thioctocide for weight loss, it is taken:
- during breakfast (before meals or immediately after);
- not later than half an hour after playing sports;
- before bed.
The effect of the drug will be more effective if its intake is accompanied by the intake of foods containing large amounts of carbohydrates. For example, cereals, legumes, sweet fruits or breads. Lipoic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates to fat deposits, but a person’s energy reserves 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 derived from fat synthesis and the removal of decomposition products of metabolic processes. When buying a slimming agent, you should pay attention to whether levocarnitine and lipoic acid are present in its composition, if these ingredients are present in it, then this is a complex agent with a high effect.
Contraindications for use
Lipoic acid is not recommended for children, pregnant women, and people who are allergic to it. These conclusions were drawn from clinical trials.
Attention! Often, many weight losers do not know the correct dose of alpha lipoic acid, in the hope of quickly getting rid of the annoying kg, significantly exceeding the rate of its use, which leads to side effects.
People suffer as a result:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- heartburn.
Sometimes patients adhere to the right dose of medication, but they worry about side effects. This occurs with the simultaneous intake of alcohol or preparations containing iron. Therefore, you should carefully review the instructions for use of lipoic acid and consult a doctor on how to take it properly.