Pharmaceutical science offers a huge number of weight loss products, most of which have many contraindications, and in order 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 reduce weight. One of them is lipoic acid for weight loss - this drug has been used not so long ago, but judging by the reviews, people taking it have achieved good results.
How does this vitamin affect weight loss? Women dreaming of losing weight decide on various experiments, just to achieve the desired goal. They study the Internet and study medical literature, hoping to find a magic weight loss pill. Lipoic acid is not a magic pill at all, but a complete drug. 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 by a certain age it becomes insufficient. Since thioctocide is a strong antioxidant, a person may be severely deficient in it 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 such 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 treatment:
- liver diseases, including hepatitis and cirrhosis;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- senile dementia;
- diabetes mellitus;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- oncology;
- poisoning;
- obesity;
- alcoholism.
For weight loss, thioctocid is prescribed due to the fact that it takes an active part in carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and this is of great importance for maintaining good physical shape.
Attention! Lipoic acid therapy for weight loss will only be effective when it is accompanied by dietary adjustments and exercise.
The tool starts the process of burning fat, which will not start without physical activity. When muscles are actively working, they need nutrients, and they 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 endurance, making training more effective.
Expert opinion
Nutritionist:
If you study the official instructions, you can find out that this is a salt of 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. This substance, unlike L-carnitine, is not produced in our body, and therefore is a drug with a strong antioxidant effect. Its task is to interrupt lipid peroxidation and the so-called oxidative stress. That is why it has found its application among lovers of weight loss: after all, a decrease in the diet and the use of one's own lipids as energy sources first leads to a surge in free radical oxidation, as well as oxidative stress. However, as with everything else, the use of drugs has side effects. The drug can cause a change or violation of taste, double vision, hemorrhagic rash, a drop 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 years, the drug is not used even if indicated, since there is no data on the effectiveness and safety. Also, it should not be taken by pregnant and lactating mothers. In the case of an overdose of this remedy, 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 are no official indications for such a use of the drug.
Forms of issue
Lipoic acid is available in tablets, capsules, suspension powders, and injection solutions. This substance is also found in various medicinal 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 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 qualities:
- activates metabolism and improves them;
- is not synthetically produced, since it is a natural substance;
- has 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;
- does not have a fat burning effect, but by processing fats into energy, it allows the body to use them;
- is a relatively inexpensive drug;
- 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 process of losing weight, there will be no sagging and stretch marks;
- the medicine can even be used by diabetics, unlike other weight loss drugs.
Lipoic acid helps the body to cope with many ailments, has a positive effect on vision, heart and lowers blood sugar. Due to the fact that this medicine has so many positive qualities, many people choose it for weight loss.
Mechanism of action
Lipoic acid not only has a positive effect on the functioning of the body as a whole, this drug affects weight loss. This is because this vitamin works in the following way:
- reduces the activity of harmful substances and their effect on the body;
- removes 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;
- 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 its damaged cells;
- affects the regeneration of tissues in the body, significantly rejuvenating them.
As a result of taking lipoic acid, unlike other drugs for weight loss, metabolic processes are not disturbed, but on the contrary are activated. Harmful substances are easily eliminated, and fat cells are converted into energy, providing the body with useful nutrition.
Attention! Lipoic acid is very often used in dietary supplements for bodybuilders, as it allows the body to better cope with heavy physical activity and relieves pain after exhausting workouts.
Thioctacid has the ability to block the action of the enzyme proteincanase, 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 vitamins of youth.
Instructions for use
Thioctocide, although a vitamin preparation, is a medicine. Therefore, it will be better if a nutritionist tells you how to take lipoic acid for weight loss, prescribes a certain dosage of this drug and a 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 the blood sugar level is much lower than normal.
Attention! The daily rate of lipoic acid should be no more than 600 mg - such a rate is set for a severe diabetes, for weight loss it is set at a maximum of 200 mg!
Weight loss is directly dependent on how to properly drink alpha lipoic acid, so the doctor needs to calculate the dose on an individual basis. The minimum dosage of lipoic acid per dose is 25 mg, if you need to lose more than 5 kg of weight, 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:
- at breakfast (before meals or immediately after);
- no later than half an hour after playing sports;
- before bedtime.
The effect of the drug will be more effective if its intake is accompanied by the consumption of food containing a large amount of carbohydrates. For example, cereals, legumes, sweet fruits, or breads. Lipoic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates into fatty 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 obtained from the synthesis of fats and the removal of the decay products of metabolic processes. When purchasing a slimming agent, you should pay attention to whether it contains levocarnitine and lipoic acid, if these substances are 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. This conclusion was drawn from clinical trials.
Attention! Often, many losing weight who do not know the correct dosage of alpha lipoic acid, in the hope of quickly getting rid of annoying kg, significantly exceed the rate of its use, which leads to side effects.
People suffer as a result:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- heartburn.
Sometimes patients adhere to the exact dosage of the drug, but they are worried about the side effects. This happens with the simultaneous intake of alcohol or preparations containing iron. Therefore, you should carefully study the instructions for the use of lipoic acid and consult a doctor on how to take it correctly.