Does Alpha-Lipoic Acid Comsumption Improve Lipid Profile in Patients With Stroke? a Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial Publisher



Mohammadi V¹ ; Khorvash F² ; Feizi A³ ; Askari G¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal Published:2017

Abstract

Background: Having a stroke, which is a devastating condition, is a major cause of deaths worldwide and is also accountable for long time disability with high personal and social cost in adults. Hyperlipidemia plays an important role in atherothrombosis, which is the precursor to stroke. One way for decreasing the risk of a stroke is treatment of dyslipidemia. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is an eight-carbon, sulfur-containing compound with antioxidant properties and effective in protecting against hypercholesterolemia and hepatic fat accumulation. Objectives: We designed this trial to scrutinize the possible effects of ALA consumption on lipid profiles in patients who experienced a stroke. Methods: In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 67 patients who experienced a stroke were randomly allocated into 2 groups (taking a 600 mg ALA supplement or placebo daily for 12 weeks). The triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL), and HDL-cholesterol (HDL) were measured and LDL-cholesterol/ HDL-cholesterol (LDL/ HDL) as well as total cholesterol/ HDL-cholesterol (TC/ HDL) were calculated before and after intervention in this study. Dietary intake and statistical analyses were carried out using the N4 and SPSS16 software, respectively. Results: Primary features were similar in the intervention and placebo groups (P < 0.05). After the intervention period, serum levels of TG (123.21 ± 49.63 vs. 152.97 ± 58.83) (P < 0.001), TC (148.67 ± 37.71 vs. 174.35 ± 36.86) (P < 0.001), and LDL (85.09 ± 23.81 vs. 107.56 ± 31.73) (P = 0.002) decreased, and HDL level (58±9.33 vs. 42.97 ± 8.07) (P < 0.001) increased significantly in ALA group compared with the placebo. In addition, LDL/ HDL (P < 0.001) and TC/ HDL (P < 0.001) reduced significantly. Conclusions: Results of this trial indicated that 12 weeks of supplementation with 600 mg alpha-lipoic acid has beneficial effects on lipid profile (TG, TC, LDL, HDL, LDL-/HDL, and TC/HDL) in patients who have experienced a stroke. © 2017, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal.