Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Mgrogers09
Mgrogers09 Posts: 61 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
So when is started trying to cut my BF% i was already taking alot of supplements- all geared towards building muscle mass as the main goal. I have always been a big proponent of supplements (not steriods), because to me any edge or assistance I can give my body with out taking a health risk is worth it. So I started researching what the best supplements and other stuff to take when your trying to cut body or lose weight. One of the biggest things that came up was CLA or Conjugated Linoleic Acid. It has been recommended to me by people at my gym, GNC (not that they always know what they are talking about), and other friends.

here are some things i found

"..CLA is also known for its body weight management properties, which include reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass. Over 30 clinical studies have been published investigating the effect of CLA on weight management. The trials have quite variable designs, which leads to inconsistency. However a meta-analysis conducted in 2007 concluded CLA has a small impact on fat mass. "

"..Another meta-analysis found that CLA supplementation produces about 1% increase in lean body mass per week. 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 and lean body mass burns more calories than fat mass which may help to increase resting metabolic rates.."

I currently have a bottle and will start taking two with the last two meals of the day.

Any experience? suggestions? warnings?

Replies

  • dancingdeer
    dancingdeer Posts: 373 Member
    bump*
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    it takes a while for the supposed benefits to kick in, and i beleive the dosing was 6g a day.

    so while it may help, still the most important part of shedding bf% is having your diet in check
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
    I would have to say, I USED to be of the same philosophy toward supplements. But then I thought, WOW that's a lot of money.

    I saw a study somewhere that showed how CLA had a very small impact something to the effect of an .25 oz per day? I have seen no "significant difference" between Taking CLA and drinking a cup of coffee per day. I did CLA over a 3 month period. I can not say with any certainty that CLA contributed to fat loss.

    About the supplements....Keep this in mind. They are called supplements because they are intended to make up for deficiencies in one's diet. Not to be the diet itself.

    CLA is a TransFatty Acid, which by the way is the good kind of Trans Fat. If you want to do it without supplementation, eat more beef with more fat.
  • northernlights907
    northernlights907 Posts: 150
    Yaknow, I started looking in to CLA and ordered some...Then I was looking on amazon at reviews and some people were saying it causes liver damage and diabetes.. Not sure how true it is, but Im too scared to take them now!
  • Mgrogers09
    Mgrogers09 Posts: 61 Member
    as for the dosage

    "...the recommended dosage of 3.2g/day produces a statistically significant 90 g fat loss per week (ca. 1 lb in 5 weeks) 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."--Whingham LD, Watras CA, Scholler DA. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans

    Yeah my diet right now is alot of vegatables and fruits, very very little lean meat, and no beef. I get my protein from eggs and shakes of course. Didnt know about the trans fat thing so thanks cause turns out i am lacking that in my diet. Call me a sucker- but ill spend the 20 bucks to help boost my body (even if the effect only winds up being placeboic)
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
    as for the dosage

    "...the recommended dosage of 3.2g/day produces a statistically significant 90 g fat loss per week (ca. 1 lb in 5 weeks) 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."--Whingham LD, Watras CA, Scholler DA. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans

    Yeah my diet right now is alot of vegatables and fruits, very very little lean meat, and no beef. I get my protein from eggs and shakes of course. Didnt know about the trans fat thing so thanks cause turns out i am lacking that in my diet. Call me a sucker- but ill spend the 20 bucks to help boost my body (even if the effect only winds up being placeboic)

    I don't think you are a sucker. I just think you can do the same thing with ACTUAL nutrition, for less money, and get the bonus of vitamins, nutrients, etc.

    As for the Trans Fatty Acids...yeah animal fats for the trans fatty acids, not hydrogenated fats for them.
    Animal fat good for TFA (<- CLA Source)
    Hydrogenated fat bad for TFA (<-Clogged Arteries Source)
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I used to take CLA supplement and found it to work quite well for shedding body fat. I took it with Chromium. Then I found sources of grass fed beef and the CLA amount is way more in Grass fed beef and raw dairy products from grass fed cows.


    So now I get a healthy dose of CLA and lose better when eating more beef (grass fed of course)
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    Yaknow, I started looking in to CLA and ordered some...Then I was looking on amazon at reviews and some people were saying it causes liver damage and diabetes.. Not sure how true it is, but Im too scared to take them now!

    I have never heard that before and if you are eating grass fed beef then you get a healthy dose of CLA naturally and most people recommend eating Grass Fed beef and raw dairy from grass fed cows.
  • northernlights907
    northernlights907 Posts: 150
    "Taking this gave me a lot of energy, nearly doubled my jogging time. So it may be breaking fat and producing energy. great. 4 stars.

    But it may gradually cause Diabetes and Liver problems.

    If you do yahoo search or google for this string :

    "Efficacy and safety of dietary supplements containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for the treatment of obesity-evidence from animal and human studies"

    You will read scientific studies explaining reactions in liver and insulin resistance.

    The same applies for Vitamin world Tonain CLA and all CLA products. Not specific to this one. "
    This is one of the reviews I found on amazon....I saw another one where a lady said she took it for 3 months and had lost a lot of weight, then all the sudden was super thirsty, turns out the CLA gave her diabetes...
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
    This is one of the reviews I found on amazon....I saw another one where a lady said she took it for 3 months and had lost a lot of weight, then all the sudden was super thirsty, turns out the CLA gave her diabetes...

    I might suggest that sometimes the simple act of dieting (especially if there has been long term nutritional, or physiological neglect) can cause diabetes.

    It may take more than CLA to have that kind of an effect on the endocrine system. Additionally, the simple act of digesting food can gradually cause liver problems.
  • LotusLoo
    LotusLoo Posts: 17
    The research out there on CLA is inconsistent, but leans towards increasing lean mass and decreasing fat mass in overweight/obese populations.
    As usual with supplements, stick with the recommended amounts - 6g/day is most common rec for CLA - and see if it works for you. I'm sure there is more research being done as we type, so it may be something to watch, but currently there is nothing solid about it. Either way, I don't think it will harm your body as long as you stick to the recommended intakes.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    "Taking this gave me a lot of energy, nearly doubled my jogging time. So it may be breaking fat and producing energy. great. 4 stars.

    But it may gradually cause Diabetes and Liver problems.

    If you do yahoo search or google for this string :

    "Efficacy and safety of dietary supplements containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for the treatment of obesity-evidence from animal and human studies"

    You will read scientific studies explaining reactions in liver and insulin resistance.

    The same applies for Vitamin world Tonain CLA and all CLA products. Not specific to this one. "
    This is one of the reviews I found on amazon....I saw another one where a lady said she took it for 3 months and had lost a lot of weight, then all the sudden was super thirsty, turns out the CLA gave her diabetes...

    Our bodies make small amounts of CLA already. If our bodies don't make enough we store fat.

    I hate that people that had bad dietary eating habits change something and when the disease finally rears its ugly head they are looking for someone to blame.............

    I got diabetes due to having PCOS and I am sure that me changing from a clean diet to one that involved convenience foods aided these 2 diseases for the symptoms to progress.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I found this in my favorites folder from when I first started low carbing.................
    Among CLA's many potential benefits: it raises metabolic rate, helps remove abdominal fat, boosts muscle growth, reduces resistance to insulin, strengthens the immune system and lowers food allergy reactions. As luck would have it, grass-fed raw milk has from 3-5 times the amount found in the milk from feed lot cows (35)(36)

    I highly doubt that CLA can cause Diabetes when it is said to reduce insulin resistance.
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
    I hate that people that had bad dietary eating habits change something and when the disease finally rears its ugly head they are looking for someone to blame.............

    I got diabetes due to having PCOS and I am sure that me changing from a clean diet to one that involved convenience foods aided these 2 diseases for the symptoms to progress.

    My point exactly. Thank you!
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I hate that people that had bad dietary eating habits change something and when the disease finally rears its ugly head they are looking for someone to blame.............

    I got diabetes due to having PCOS and I am sure that me changing from a clean diet to one that involved convenience foods aided these 2 diseases for the symptoms to progress.

    My point exactly. Thank you!

    No problem.............I don't mind blaming myself. That is the only way change is going to come about. Acknowledge what and how I was living was wrong and change it.

    Which I am doing now.
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