Pemberian alpha lipoic acid per oral dan latihan fisik intensitas sedang menurunkan berat badan dan lemak abodminal lebih banyak daripada latihan fisik intensitas sedang saja pada tikus Wistar jantan dengan obesitas

This study was aimed to prove that oral administration of ALA and moderate physical exercise decrease body weight and abdominal fat more than moderate physical exercise only in obese male Wistar rats. This was a true experimental study with a post-test only control group design. Subjects were 30 Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus), male, healthy, aged 4-5 months, and obese with minimum weight of 250 g, divided into 3 groups, as follows: 1) P0, the control group with no treatment; 2) P1, given moderate physical exercise (swimming for 20 minutes/day, for 4 weeks); 3) P2, given moderate physical exercise and ALA per oral 15 mg/day for 4 weeks. The results showed that the average body weight after 4 weeks of treatment of P0 group was 279.10±5.84 g; of P1 group was 257.90±10.31 g; and of P2 group was 213.90±8.92 g (P < 0.01). The mean weight of subcutaneous abdominal fat of P0 group was 0.96±0.45 g; of P1 group was 0.63±0.31 g; and of P2 group was 0.40±0.23 g (P < 0.01 ). Moreover, the mean weight of visceral abdominal fat of P0 group was 1.23±0.37 g; of P1 group was 0.83±0.24 g; and of P2 group was 0.39±0.25 g (P < 0,01). Conclusion: Oral administration of ALA and moderate physical exercise decrease body weight, subcutaneous abdominal fat, and visceral abdominal fat more than moderate physical exercise only in obese male Wistar rats. Keywords: alpha lipoic acid, obesity, body weight, abdominal fat