ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION IMPROVES OXIDATIVE STRESS STATUS IN PATIENTS WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE

Background and Aim: Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progression; one of the most probable causes is increased oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation on anthropometric indices, dietary intakes and oxidative stress-related parameters in obese patients with NAFLD.Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 50 obese patients with NAFLD were randomly allocated into two groups, receiving either 1200 mg ALA (two 600 mg capsules of ALA) or placebo (two 600 mg capsules of placebo) for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measures, dietary intakes, liver enzymes as well as serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, total antioxidant status (TAS), and the activities of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were assessed at the baseline and after 12 weeks intervention.Results: Serum concentrations of liver enzymes decreased significantly in the ALA group (P< 0.05 for all), while a noticeable reduction was observed for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the placebo group (p=0.034). Nonetheless, no significant differences were observed between the study groups in serum levels of liver enzymes after the intervention. Although ALA supplementation significantly reduced serum concentration of MDA (p< 0.040) and increased serum TAS (p< 0.048), other oxidative stress-related parameters such as Cu/Zn-SOD and GSH-Px activities were not affected. Conclusion: These findings suggest that daily supplementation of 1200 mg ALA for 12 weeks improves oxidative stress markers in patients with NAFLD and it could be considered as an adjunctive therapy for prevention of NAFLD progression.

Keywords:

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease , Alpha-Lipoic Acid , Oxidative Stress , Obesity