title: Alpha-lipoic acid, an anti-obesity agent?
abstract: Obesity shortens life expectancy and is a risk factor for hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. When added to the standard chow of Sprague-Dawley or Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats, alpha-lipoic acid (0.5% weight/weight) reduced body weight and food intake. Alpha-lipoic acid also increased whole-body energy expenditure. It exerts its effects by suppressing hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase. Long-term studies to determine whether these anti-obesity effects are maintained in animals are required before alpha-lipoic acid is considered for clinical trial in human obesity.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia. s_doggrell@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sheila A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Doggrell
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D020334:Rats, Inbred OLETF; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D008063:Thioctic Acid; D008687:Metformin; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases