title: Chemopreventive Effects of Alpha Lipoic Acid on Obesity-Related Cancers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been generally accepted that being overweight or obese is a risk factor for several types of cancers, including breast, thyroid, colon, pancreatic and liver. In fact, people who are obese have more fat tissues that can produce hormones, such as insulin or estrogen, which may cause cancer cells to grow. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is anorganosulfur compound derived from octanoic acid, which is produced in animals normally, and is essential for aerobic metabolism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studies in both in vitro cells and in vivo animal models have shown that ALA inhibits the initiation and promotion stages of carcinogenesis, suggesting that ALA has considerable attention as a chemopreventive agent. This brief review collects the scattered data available in the literature concerning ALA and highlights its anti-cancer properties, intermediary metabolism and exploratory implications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on scientific evidences so far, ALA might be useful agents in the management or chemoprevention of obesity-related cancers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Metabolic Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Seuk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008063:Thioctic Acid