In a randomized, double blind and controlled trial from 2020, overweight adults with elevated triglyceride levels were assessed. Patients were assigned 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid or a placebo daily for 24 weeks. Without any change in diet or physical activity, patients in the lipoic acid group had greater weight loss after 24 weeks and significant decrease in BMI. Average weight loss in women and obese patients was about 5% in those who started the study with a BMI >35. Body fat decreased by about 9%. Gene expression of the antioxidant HMOX1 was also significantly greater in the lipoic acid group compared to placebo.
References:
Bobe, G., Michels, A. J., Zhang, W. J., Purnell, J. Q., Woffendin, C., Pereira, C., Vita, J. A., Thomas, N. O., Traber, M. G., Frei, B., & Hagen, T. M. (2020). A Randomized Controlled Trial of Long-Term (R)-α-Lipoic Acid Supplementation Promotes Weight Loss in Overweight or Obese Adults without Altering Baseline Elevated Plasma Triglyceride Concentrations. The Journal of nutrition, 150(9), 2336–2345. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa203
