Alpha Lipoic Acid – An Unexpected Weight Loss Ally

What is Alpha-Lipoic Acid?

Alpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring short-chain fatty acid. It is an extremely important defence nutrient that can either be absorbed from the foods you eat, taken as a supplement, or produced naturally by your body. Alpha-lipoic acid packs a powerful punch not just when it comes to defending your cells from free radicals but also because of its involvement in mitochondrial energy production.¹ Foods rich in alpha-lipoic acid include organ meats, spinach, broccoli and peas.

How Alpha-Lipoic Acid Influences Weight

In order for your body to excel at shedding pounds, your metabolism has to be really efficient at converting food into energy. When your metabolism is running on full power you can burn more calories even when you’re relaxing in front of the TV. A slow metabolism means you burn fewer calories, making it twice as hard to shift stubborn fat.

Four Key Benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid:

1. Energy Production

It stands to reason that improving how cells produce energy may positively affect calorie burning, which is where alpha lipoic acid shines. Alpha-lipoic acid acts as a valuable cofactor for several key enzymes that convert carbohydrates, protein, fat and oxygen into energy, highlighting its significance in energy metabolism.²

2. Blood Sugar Balance

Keeping your blood glucose (sugar) levels under control is a positive move towards maintaining a healthy weight. Improving your body’s response to insulin means it is more effective at using blood glucose for energy instead of storing it up as fat, helping to keep a lid on weight gain. Alpha-lipoic acid is thought to help improve how the body takes in glucose by influencing a molecule that transports glucose into cells.³ This process may also support the way insulin works in the body.

3. Cell Protection

Chronic inflammation can interfere with metabolism and thyroid function leading to weight gain and difficulty losing weight. As an important defence nutrient, alpha-lipoic acid may help to reduce inflammation by neutralizing free radicals, which offers protection against inflammatory conditions such as obesity.

4. Fat Metabolism

Alpha-lipoic acid supports metabolic pathways that may increase fat metabolism by activating certain enzymes involved in breaking down stored fat into energy.

Altrient Liposomal R-Alpha Lipoic Acid – A Real-Life Story

We love hearing how our supplements positively impact your weight loss journey, and we want to share these inspiring stories with our readers. Here’s what one of our happy customers had to say:

"I always had difficulties controlling my weight. I lost 36kg in several years thanks to new health habits and it is an everyday challenge to maintain my weight. Altrient ALA has been a game-changer for me. This not only helps to keep my weight under control but I also could lose more and I now feel in great shape. Of course, I still run every day. All I can say is thank you Altrient ALA."

Written by: Jacqueline Newson BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy

Editor: Alejandra Toro, Pshychologist, MSc Nutrition and Behaviour

References

Koh EH, Lee WJ, Lee SA, et al.

Effects of alpha-lipoic Acid on body weight in obese subjects. Am J Med. 2011; 124:85.e1–8. [PubMed: 21187189].

Liqiao C et al.

Dietary Supplements, Immune Modulation and Diabetes Control. Lipoic Acid. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/lipoic-acid. [Accessed 16.10.24. ]

Kip A et al.

The Antihyperglycemic Drug α-Lipoic Acid Stimulates Glucose Uptake via Both GLUT4 Translocation and GLUT4 Activation. Diabetes 2001; 50(6): 1464-1471.