Alpha-Lipoic Acid: Powerful Antioxidant For Weight Loss

Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that can be very helpful to those trying to lose weight and control their blood sugar. It has been successfully used for both purposes in Europe for the past 20 years.

Alpha-lipoic acid(ALA) is an antioxidant that is produced by the human body and is found in every body cell. It assists the body in producing ATP from glucose. ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) is the molecular structure used in the body for all activities that require energy. Antioxidants are substances that attack free radicals. Free radicals are harmful waste products created when the body turns food into energy. Free radicals cause chemical reactions that can damage cells in the body, making it harder for the body to fight off infections. They also damage body organs and are carcinogenic.

Unlike other antioxidants, alpha-lipoic acid is both fat and water soluble. This allows it to be effective in all body spaces. In addition, antioxidants are depleted as they attack free radicals, but evidence suggests alpha-lipoic acid may help regenerate these other antioxidants and make them active again. Scientists believe that ALA operates in conjunction with vitamins C and E, and the antioxidant glutathione, recycling them when they're used up.

Many studies have been conducted confirming the health benefits of alpha-lipoic acid, including recent findings that ALA offers neuroprotective and possibly cognitive enhancing effects. ALA is also useful as a supplement in our quest to quickly lose weight.


It is worth mentioning that alpha-lipoic acid is not the same as alpha linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that may help heart health. Confusion can arise because both are sometimes abbreviated ALA.

Alpha-lipoic acid can lower blood sugar levels, and its ability to kill free radicals may help reduce pain, burning, itching, tingling, and numbness in people who have nerve damage caused by diabetes (called peripheral neuropathy). Alpha-lipoic acid has been used for years for this purpose in Europe, and at least one study found that intravenous (IV) doses of alpha-lipoic acid helped reduce symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. In one European study twelve subjects with normal glucose tolerance served as a control group in terms of insulin sensitivity. At the end of the treatment period, insulin sensitivity of diabetic patients was significantly increased: short-term oral alpha-lipoic acid treatment increases peripheral insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Taking alpha-lipoic acid helps another diabetes-related condition called autonomic neuropathy, which affects the nerves supplying the heart. One study found that 73 people with autonomic neuropathy improved when taking 800 mg of alpha-lipoic acid orally compared to placebo.

 ALA has also been shown to be helpful in weight loss. ALA is not normally used for rapid weight loss. However, consistent use can result in weight loss along with the other health benefits conveyed by ALA. It increases the rate of glucose uptake and oxidative metabolism. The result is that more energy is used faster in the cells of your body, with fewer calories available for storage as fat. Furthermore, the enhanced glucose metabolism with resultant decreases in blood sugar levels will certainly help prevent the storage of belly fat. This occurs because poor glucose utilization results in the release of higher levels of insulin from the pancreas. These elevated insulin levels result in fat storage due to the highly anabolic nature of insulin.