In one study, 360 obese people who also had high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol took 1,200 mg or 1,800 mg of ALA per day or a placebo, along with eating a low-calorie diet.
After 20 weeks, compared to placebo, many more of those in the 1,800 mg ALA group had lost at least 5 percent of their body weight.
Overall, the 1,800 mg ALA group lost an average of 2.1 percent of body weight and had lower body-mass index (BMI) scores.