The August 2013 issue of the journal Trials reported the outcome of a study conducted by researchers in Naples, Italy, which found a benefit for supplementing with alpha lipoic acid and inositol among women with metabolic syndrome: a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The trial included 155 postmenopausal women who had three or more of five metabolic syndrome components, and who were at increased risk of breast cancer as determined by family history or history of borderline lesions. (Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome are at greater risk of breast cancer than the rest of the female population.) Participants were instructed to consume a low-calorie diet and were randomized to receive alpha lipoic acid and inositol, or a placebo for six months.

While the low calorie diet slightly improved insulin levels and insulin resistance in the placebo group, a significant decrease in insulin occurred among 89.3% of women who received alpha lipoic acid and inositol and a reduction in insulin resistance was observed in 66.7% in comparison with values determined at the beginning of the study. A greater percentage of women who received the supplements experienced reductions in triglycerides and a significant increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL), as well as a reduction in waist circumference and waist-hip ratio

“Inositol combined with alpha lipoic acid can be used as a dietary supplement in insulin-resistant patients in order to increase their insulin sensitiveness,” authors Immacolata Capasso and colleagues conclude. “Daily consumption of inositol combined with alpha lipoic acid has a significant bearing on metabolic syndrome. As metabolic syndrome is considered a modifiable risk factor of breast tumorigenesis, further studies are required to assess whether inositol combined with alpha lipoic acid can be administered as a dietary supplement in breast cancer primary prevention.”