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The wonder pill that may stop dieters putting weight back on
By Jenny Hope Last updated at 1:56 AM on 08th August 2008
A pill has been shown to stop the natural tendency to pile the pounds back on after a diet.
Researchers found alpha-lipoic acid, a dietary supplement widely sold in health food shops, also had an anti-ageing effect.
When taken with a normal diet it has no obvious benefit. But scientists say it can 'lock in' the benefits of a six-month weight loss programme if it is taken afterwards.
However, the researchers are divided about whether the findings, observed in rats, can be applied to humans.
Study leader Dr Malcolm Goyns said he was sufficiently convinced to try the approach himself.
Dr Goyns, director of Immorgene Concepts, a scientific research firm in Stockton-on-Tees, near Middlesbrough, said: 'It seems that alphalipoic-acid fools the body into behaving as if it was still on whatever diet it was following before the supplement was added.
'We found there was an antiobesity effect.
'Although weight does rise when you come off the restricted diet, if you take alpha-lipoic acid, even though you are eating normally again, you still have reduced weight.'
The study also confirmed that eating a restricted number of calories extends lifespan.
This effect has already been observed in humans among communities such as those living in Japan's tropical Okinawan islands, where a low-calorie traditional diet has led to the world's highest proportion of people aged over 100.
Dr Malcolm Goyns claims alpha-lipoic acid may prevent dieters from putting weight back on once they go back to normal food
'Our discovery indicates that by following a calorie restriction diet for six months and then taking alpha-lipoic acid while eating normally, the same life extension effects will be experienced,' Dr Goyns added.
The study, published in the journal Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, was carried out by Dr Goyns with colleagues from the University of Liverpool.
The researchers investigated the effect of alpha-lipoic acid when given to rats on normal and low calorie diets.
Experiments have shown that curbing the amount of food rats eat can extend their lives by 25 to 40 per cent. However, the anti-ageing benefits are lost when the rats return to a normal diet.
In the study, researchers found that giving the rats the supplement when they returned to normal eating extended the benefits of the low calorie diet.
'These observations provide exciting opportunities for anyone who wants a longer, healthier life,' Dr Goyns concluded.
Brian Merry, of the School of Biological Sciences at Liverpool University, which carried out the study, said: 'If you put animals on a restricted diet they would normally go on to an extended survival trajectory.
'When they were switched to a normal diet, this compound seemed to lock them into the benefits of the pre-existing diet.
'It is an unusual and interesting finding and it needs repeating in further research.
'That was as far as I was prepared to go, but Malcolm Goyns wanted to apply it to humans.
'I said I didn't agree with his interpretation and we had to wait for further studies.'
Alpha-lipoic acid is sold as an antioxidant supplement and is also used in the treatment of certain conditions including stroke and liver damage.
Mr Merry added: 'People have been buying this stuff and taking it for years as a dietary supplement.
'I don't think anyone knows what its effect is.'
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