Pharmaceutical science offers a huge number of weight loss products, most of which have many contraindications, and to decide on such 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 was used not so long ago, but judging by the 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, only to achieve the desired goal. They study the Internet and study the medical literature, hoping to find a magic pill to lose weight. Lipoic acid is not a magic pill at all, but a complete drug. Other names for this vitamin: thioctocide, alpha lipoic acid. This substance is found in food and is produced by the human body by itself, but at a certain age it becomes insufficient. Since thioctocide is a powerful antioxidant, a person can be severely deficient in it under certain conditions.
Indications for 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 was proved, in which a stable result was achieved.
This vitamin is prescribed in complex treatment:
- liver disease, 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 because it actively participates in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, and this is of great importance for maintaining good physical shape.
Attention! Lipoic acid therapy for weight loss will only be effective if accompanied by dietary adjustments and exercise.
The tool starts the fat burning process, which will not start without physical activity. When muscles are actively working, they need nutrients and begin to draw vitamins and minerals from the body, but they may not be enough. Lipoic acid helps replenish energy reserves and increases a person's stamina, making training more effective.
Expert opinion
nutritionist:
If you study the official instructions, you can find out that this is an EDTA alpha lipoic acid salt. Officially, the drug is indicated for polyneuropathy, fatty degeneration of the liver and 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. This 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 leads first to a surge in free radical oxidation, as well as oxidative stress. . However, like everything else, drug use 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, rashes and hives have been described. The official instructions say that before the age of 18 the drug is not used even if indicated, since there are no data on efficacy and safety. Also, it should not be taken by pregnant and lactating women. In the event of an overdose of this remedy, symptoms usually manifest themselves in the form of vomiting, nausea and headache. Therefore, the use of lipoic acid as an adjuvant in diet and weight loss is not recommended. After all, there are no official indications for such a use of the drug.
Forms of release
Lipoic acid is available in tablets, capsules, powders for suspension and solutions for injection. This substance is also found in various medicines.
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 fat 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;
- it is not produced synthetically, as it is a natural substance;
- it has almost no contraindications;
- side effects when taking lipoic acid are very rare;
- Fasting is not necessary to achieve the desired weight loss while taking lipoic acid;
- it does not have a fat burning effect, but by transforming fat into energy, it allows the body to use it;
- it 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 weight loss process, there will be no sagging and stretch marks;
- the medicine can also 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 body's burning process of sugar 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 diseases, including neuropathy;
- prevents the formation of plaques in the blood vessels;
- restores damaged nerve endings;
- significantly reduces appetite;
- stimulates the activity of the liver, restores its damaged cells;
- affects the regeneration of body tissues, significantly rejuvenating.
As a result of taking lipoic acid, unlike other weight loss drugs, 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 food 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 proteincanase enzyme, which signals the brain to start eating. Therefore, 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 specific dosage of this drug and a course. The fact is that the effectiveness of taking lipoic acid 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 dose of lipoic acid should not exceed 600 mg: this percentage is set for severe diabetes, for weight loss it is set at a maximum of 200 mg!
Weight loss directly depends on how to properly drink alpha-lipoic acid, so the doctor must calculate the dose on an individual basis. The minimum dosage of lipoic acid per dose is 25 mg, if it is necessary to lose more than 5 kg of weight, the dose is increased to 50 mg. You can start taking this drug with a dose not exceeding 20 mg, then it is gradually increased.
To increase the effectiveness of thioctocide for weight loss, take:
- at breakfast (before meals or immediately after);
- no 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 containing a large amount of carbohydrates. For example, cereals, legumes, sweet fruit or bread. Lipoic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates into fat stores, 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 energy expenditure obtained from the synthesis of fats and the elimination of decomposition products of metabolic processes. When buying a slimming agent, you should pay attention to the presence of levocarnitine and lipoic acid in its composition, if these substances 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 allergic to it. This conclusion was drawn from clinical studies.
Attention! Often, many losers 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;
- He retched;
- diarrhea;
- stomach ache.
Sometimes patients adhere to the exact dosage of the drug but are concerned about the side effects. This happens with the simultaneous intake of alcohol or iron-containing preparations. Therefore, you should carefully study the instructions for use of lipoic acid and consult a doctor on how to take it correctly.