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Warning: Beware of weight-loss supplement ads that tout percentages, not actual numbers.
Take the findings from new research by Korean scientists on alpha-lipoic acid.
In the study, obese men and women who started dieting and supplementing their weight-loss programs with a daily 1,800-milligram dose of alpha-lipoic acid lost 50 percent more weight than those who dieted without taking the supplement. Sounds impressive, right?
But consider: The pill-poppers lost an average of 4 pounds in 20 weeks, while the other group lose 1.8 pounds. And while these results were STATISTICALLY significant, it’d be hard to argue that the have any REAL-WORLD significance. After all, just about any decent diet program will lead to 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per WEEK.
Still, alpha-lipoic acid isn’t completely useless. Studies have shown it can help relieve diabetes-related nerve damage and control blood sugar (though it’s not a panacea for either). And like any antioxidant, it can help fight cancer-causing excess free radicals. To learn more about what antioxidants can—and can’t—do for your body, read The Truth About Antioxidants, which investigates the real science behind these mega-hyped molecules.
As always, talk with your doctor before you take any supplements at all—manufacturers don’t need to have approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell their products. For example, Hagan says that there’s some evidence showing that alpha-lipoic acid can worsen hypoglycemia, a condition that occurs when your blood sugar levels are too low
Take the findings from new research by Korean scientists on alpha-lipoic acid.
In the study, obese men and women who started dieting and supplementing their weight-loss programs with a daily 1,800-milligram dose of alpha-lipoic acid lost 50 percent more weight than those who dieted without taking the supplement. Sounds impressive, right?
But consider: The pill-poppers lost an average of 4 pounds in 20 weeks, while the other group lose 1.8 pounds. And while these results were STATISTICALLY significant, it’d be hard to argue that the have any REAL-WORLD significance. After all, just about any decent diet program will lead to 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss per WEEK.
Still, alpha-lipoic acid isn’t completely useless. Studies have shown it can help relieve diabetes-related nerve damage and control blood sugar (though it’s not a panacea for either). And like any antioxidant, it can help fight cancer-causing excess free radicals. To learn more about what antioxidants can—and can’t—do for your body, read The Truth About Antioxidants, which investigates the real science behind these mega-hyped molecules.
As always, talk with your doctor before you take any supplements at all—manufacturers don’t need to have approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell their products. For example, Hagan says that there’s some evidence showing that alpha-lipoic acid can worsen hypoglycemia, a condition that occurs when your blood sugar levels are too low