Pharmaceutical science offers a large number of products for weight loss, most of which have many contraindications, and in order to decide on such therapy, you must seriously consider whether it is worth risking your health. Medical research has shown that vitamin preparations, which have virtually 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 reviews, people who take it have had good results.
How Does This Vitamin Affect Weight Loss? Women dreaming of losing weight decide on various experiences, just to achieve the desired goal. They study the Internet and study the medical literature, hoping to find a magic pill for weight loss. Lipoic acid is not a magic pill at all, but a complete medicine. Other names for this vitamin: thioctocide, alpha lipoic acid. This substance is found in food and is produced by the human body alone, but at a certain age it becomes insufficient. Since thioctocide is a powerful antioxidant, a person can be severely deficient in 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 was proven, in which a stable result was obtained.
This vitamin is prescribed in complex treatment:
- liver disease, including hepatitis and cirrhosis;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- senile dementia;
- diabetic sugar;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- oncology;
- poisoning;
- obesity;
- alcoholism.
For weight loss, thioctocide is prescribed because it actively participates in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, which is of great importance for the maintenance of good physical shape.
Warning! Lipoic acid treatment for weight loss will only be effective if it is 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 start to draw vitamins and minerals from the body, but they may not be enough. Lipoic acid helps replenish energy stores and increases a person's stamina, making training more efficient.
Expert opinion
Nutritionist:
If you study the official instructions, you may find out that it is an alpha lipoic acid salt 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 is therefore a drug with a strong antioxidant effect. Its task is to interrupt lipid peroxidation and so-called oxidative stress. This is why it has found its applicationin weight loss enthusiasts: after all, cutting back on your diet and using your own fat as an energy source first leads 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, drop in blood sugar with the possible development of hypoglycemic conditions. In some cases, allergic reactions, rashes and hives have been described. Official instructions indicate that before the age of 18 the drug is not used even if indicated, since there are no data on its effectiveness and safety. In addition, it should not be taken by pregnant and breastfeeding women. In case of overdose of this remedy, the symptoms usually manifest themselves as vomiting, nausea and headache. Therefore, it is not recommended to use thioctic acid as a diet and weight loss aid. After all, there is no official indication for such use of the drug.
Forms of issue
Lipoic acid is available as tablets, capsules, powders, and solutions for injection. This substance is also present in various medicines.
Warning! Lipoic acid preparations should not be used without consulting an endocrinologist!
Thioctocide is often a component of food supplements for athletes and people who want to lose weight.
Slimming benefits
Most weight loss drugs burn fat, unlike lipoic acid, which works differently in the body.
Warning! When burning fat with the help of drugs, harmful substances are formed in the human body and metabolic processes are disturbed, lipoic acid, on the contrary, heals the body!
Thioctocide has the following qualities:
- activates and improves metabolism;
- is not produced synthetically, since it is a natural substance;
- has almost no contraindications;
- side effects from taking lipoic acid are very rare;
- Fasting is not necessary to achieve the desired weight loss while taking lipoic acid;
- has no fat-burning effect, but by converting fat into energy, it allows the body to use 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 process of weight loss there will be no sagging and stretch marks;
- the drug can even be used by diabetics, unlike other weight loss drugs.
Lipoic acid helps the body cope with many ailments, has a positive effect on vision, heart and lowers blood sugar. Due to the fact that this drug has so many positive qualities, many people choose it for weight loss.
Action mechanism
Lipoic acid not only has a positive effect on the functioning of the body as a whole, but this drug affects weight loss. Indeed, this vitamin acts in the following way:
- reduces the activity of harmful substances and their effect on the body;
- removes radionuclides, 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 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 removed, and fat cells are converted into energy, providing the body with useful nutrition.
Warning! Lipoic acid is very often used in bodybuilding supplements because it allows the body to cope better with intense physical activity and relieves pain after strenuous workouts.
Thioctacid has the ability to block the action of the proteinase enzyme, which signals the brain to start eating. Thus, the person is not hungry. In addition, this substance improves the absorption of vitamins A and E, which are considered to be vitamins of youth.
Manual
Thioctocide, although a vitamin preparation, is a medicine. Therefore, it will be better for a nutritionist to teach you how to take lipoic acid for weight loss, prescribe a specific dosage of this drug, and provide treatment. The fact is that the effectiveness of lipoic acid intake directly depends on the correct calculation of its average daily rate. The point is that overdose of this medicine can harm the body and cause hypoglycemia - a condition in which the blood sugar level is much lower than normal.
Warning! The daily level of lipoic acid should not exceed 600 mg - this level 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 should calculate the dose on an individual basis. The minimum dose 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 medicine 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);
- at the latest 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 foods containing a large amount of carbohydrates. For example, grains, legumes, sweet fruits or bread. Lipoic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates into fatty deposits, but a person's energy stores 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 from fat synthesis and the elimination of the breakdown 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, it is a complex agent with a high effect.
Contraindications for use
Lipoic acid is not recommended for children, pregnant women and people with allergies. This conclusion was drawn from clinical trials.
Warning! Often, many people who lose weight and do not know the correct dosage of alpha lipoic acid, in the hope of quickly getting rid of bothersome pounds, significantly exceed the rate of use, resulting inSide effects.
People suffer as a result:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- stomach pains.
Sometimes patients adhere to the exact dosage of the drug, but they are worried about side effects. This occurs with the simultaneous consumption of alcohol or preparations containing iron. Therefore, you should carefully study the instructions for using lipoic acid and consult a doctor on how to take it correctly.