Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

TorridCutie

Do any of you take CLA as a supplement? I read that 4 g of CLA a day helps reverse the slowing of the metabolism due to calorie restriction and have been taking it for a week. I just wanted to see if anyone has been taking it for a longer time and noticed any benefits. I am trying to decide if an extra 40 calories a day is worth it.

Pam3

bump

TorridCutie

I guess not <sigh>

SunshineKB

My friend who takes it said that it helps build lean muscle and burns fat...not sure where you got the 40 calorie thing from.

TorridCutie

To get 4 grams of CLA a day, you need to take 4 capsules of 10 calories each, hence the 40 calories.

NurseU2BeFit

I have taken CLA (4g) since the beginning of June with no side effects to date. I have lost inches. No sure if it is due to the suppliment or not yet. To early to tell. I havent read anything about it increasing metabolism but decrease fat and increase lean body mass which in turn will help increase the metabolic rate.

Wikipedia says this about CLA and weight management:

"The most promising science around CLA concerns its effect on weight management. Thirty five intervention studies have been conducted using CLA in humans to investigate the effects of CLA on weight management. These studies, which vary widely in CLA dose and duration, show that the most significant effect of CLA on weight management is on body composition, a reduction in total body fat and an increase in lean body mass. The effect of CLA on fat mass is modest and at the recommended dosage of 3.2g/day produces statistically significant 90g fat loss per week as shown by a 2007 meta-analysis[30]. Doses higher than the recommended 3.2g do not seem to have any additional effects on body fat reduction. Another meta-analysis found that CLA supplementation produces about 1% increase in lean body mass. With the simultaneous decrease in fat mass coupled with increases in lean body mass, often the net change in weight is small. However, the effects of CLA on body composition is a healthy effect since the degree of fat mass is related to all cause mortality [31] and lean body mass burns more calories than fat mass which may help to increase resting metabolic rates. CLA use itself is not an answer to the prevalence of obesity, but it can be a useful tool in addition to a healthy lifestyle and exercise program to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

There are concerns that the use of CLA supplements by extremely overweight people may tend to cause or to aggravate insulin resistance, which may increase their risk of developing diabetes. Research indicates that supplementation with t10c12 CLA dramatically increases rates of oxidative stress, to levels considerably higher than that observed in heavy smokers.[8] However, the evidence is controversial, and some studies using a mixture of c9t11 and t10c12 CLA showed no changes in insulin sensitivity.[39][40] A study in 2007 use the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp method which is the gold standard, to evaluate insulin resistance. The study performed in 49 obese or overweight individuals taking 3.2g CLA per day for 6 months found no adverse effects on blood glucose management. In addition, the long term studies of 1 and 2 years have found CLA supplementation to be safe with no outstanding adverse events [41].In one study t10c12 CLA produced a 32% increase in biliary cholesterol concentration which increases the chance of gallstone formation

In 2006, a study by the US Department of Agriculture suggested that CLA can induce essential fatty acid redistribution in mice. Changes in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) levels were observed in some organs. For instance, the t10,c12 CLA reduced the DHA content of heart tissue by 25%, while in the spleen, DHA content rose, and AA fell. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid important to cardiovascular health and the dramatic reduction of DHA in heart tissue can have serious health consequences. In contrast, c9,t11 CLA did not alter DHA content in the heart, but did reduce spleen DHA slightly.[7] A study of CLA supplementation (equal amounts of c9,t11 and t10,c12) in hatchling chicks (2005) showed high mortality and low hatchability rates among CLA-supplemented groups, and also a decrease in brain DHA levels of CLA-treated chicks [1]. These studies raise the question of whether CLA may increase the risk of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, but it has yet to be established whether such changes occur in humans, and whether they are clinically relevant."

Note that they list Insulin resistance as a possible adverse effect to this suppliment. I have had my blood sugar checked and have had no problems so far.

~Penny

iTim__

Bump - I heard a radio Dr. recommend this today. Anyone else try it?

iTim__

Well folks, I did some reading on this and decided I'll be my own guinea pig. I'll let you know how it goes.