Table 2.

Effects of ALA in overweight/obese patients.

Patients (n)	Design	Treatment	Key Effects	References
Overweight/ obese women Age range: 20–50 n = 77	Clinical trial Randomized Double-blind Placebo-Controlled Parallel design	1300 mg/day EPA or 300 mg/day ALA or both 1300 mg/day EPA + 300 mg/day ALA or placebo, orally 30% energy-restricted diet Duration: 10 weeks	- Significantly higher body weight loss in ALA treated groups - Significantly attenuated decrease in leptin levels in ALA treated groups during weight loss	[114]
Overweight/ obese women Age range: 20–50 n = 73	Clinical trial Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Parallel design	1300 mg/day EPA or 300 mg/day ALA or both 1300 mg/day EPA + 300 mg/day ALA or placebo 30% energy-restricted diet Duration: 10 weeks	- A high reduction in body weight, BMI and fat mass was stated in ALA treated groups - Significant reduction in glucose levels for only control group and EPA + ALA group - No significant differences in irisin changes between groups	[114]
Overweight or obese patients Age range: 38–47 n = 170	Clinical trial Single-center Randomized Double-blind Crossover controlled	1200 mg/day ALA or placebo, orally Duration: 8 weeks	- Significant reduction in body weight and waist circumference	[115]
Obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) Age range: 20–50 n = 45	Clinical trial Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled	1200 mg/day ALA + 400 mg/day vitamin E or vitamin E (placebo), orally Duration: 12 weeks	- Significant improvement in serum adiponectin and IL-6 levels	[116]
Overweight/obese women Age range: not specified n = 57	Clinical trial Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled	300 mg/day ALA or 1300 mg/day EPA or 1300 mg/day EPA + 300 mg/day ALA or placebo, orally Hypocaloric diet Duration: 10 weeks	- A significant reduction in the circulating levels of saturated fatty acid and total n-6-PUFAs	[113]
Overweight/ obese sedentary females Age range: n.s. n = 65	Clinical trial Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled	300 mg/day ALA or 1300 mg/day EPA or 1300 mg/day EPA + 300 mg/day ALA or placebo, orally Energy restricted diet Duration: 10 weeks	- Significant reduction in BMI and fat mass in ALA treated groups	[117]