The effect of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation and Electrical isotonic contraction on anthropometric measurements, body composition, angiogenesis factors, sirtunin-1, and PGC1-α in obese people undergoing a weight loss diet

Background: The anti-obesity effects of Alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) and isotonic contraction has been reported. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of α-LA supplementation and Faradic (an electrical stimulating system) on anthropometric parameters, body composition, VEGF, Sirtunin-1, nitric oxide (NO), and PGC1-α in obese people undergoing a weight loss regime. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was carried out on 100 obese adults. The subjects were randomly assigned to four groups of 25 subjects including Faradic, α-LA, -α-LA+Faradic, and control. A Bio Impedance Analyzer (BIA) was used to estimate anthropometric measurements including weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and fat free mass. The serum levels of Sirtunin-1, PGC1-α, VEGF, and NO levels were measured. All measurements were done at baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention. Results: A significant weight reduction was observed in all four groups compared to baseline (p=<0.01). The placebo group had significantly higher weight, BMI, weight circumstance (WC), and body fat (BF) compared with the other groups. The α-LA+Faradic group had significantly lower weight, BMI, BF, WC than control, faradic, and α-LA groups and higher, Sitruin,, and PGC than the control group (all P <0.05). Conclusions: The findings indicated that the α-LA and Faradic interventions may have a synergistic effect on weight, BMI, BF, WC, and SLM, possibly through changes in serum level of VEGF, NO, and PGC. Further researches are warranted to clarify the mutual effects of –α-LA and Faradic on obesity and molecular biomarkers. Name of the registry: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials Trial registration number: IRCT20131117015424N2 Date of registration: https://www.irct.ir/search/result?query=IRCT20131117015424N2 URL of trial registry record: 04/04/2018