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CLA is sold as a weight loss supplement. Claims include statements such as CLA is the new Scientific Breakthrough supplement that has been clinically proven to reduce bodyfat and increase lean muscle mass. Excellent results have been shown in men & women.
Clinical trials have been successful in mice, but none have proven weight loss in humans. However, CLA has been shown to help KEEP the fat off once your goal has been reached.
According to a study at the University of Wisconsin:
Dr. Michael Pariza, who conducted research on CLA with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reported in August 2000 to the American Chemical Society that "It doesn't make a big fat cell get little. What it rather does is keep a little fat cell from getting big."
Pariza's research did not find weight loss in his group of 71 overweight people, but what he did find was that when the dieters stopped dieting, and gained back weight, those taking CLA "were more likely to gain muscle and not fat.'' In a separate study conducted at Purdue University in Indiana, CLA was found to improve insulin levels in about two-thirds of diabetic patients, and moderately reduced the blood glucose level and triglyceride levels.
Conclusion:
Most of the studies on CLA are conducted with the intent to learn the effects of CLA as a cancer treatment or preventative. Further studies are necessary to determine the full benefits of CLA to weight loss or maintenance. In the meantime, usage of CLA appears safe, although it may not be effective. The effects of long term usage are unknown. Side effects include mild gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea.
hi cathy i used cla for a space of about 9months and the results were suprisingly impressive i was dieting and i managed to maintain muscle mass while stripping fat although did get a bit on the pricey side which is why i stopped
Here's an interesting tidbit about CLA, from this month's Shape magazine
Quote:
CLA - a mixture of compounds similar to linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid, is not the weight loss wonder it's touted to be on many web sites and it may even have unhealthy side effects. Although CLA appears to cause fat loss in animals, a review of 13 studies published in 2003 in the Journal of Lipid Research found that the supplement was of little benefit to humans.
Research suggests, too, that it may be dangerous to take high doses of CLA, though no safe or unsafe dosages have been determined. Most manufacturers sell it in 750 to 1000 milligram pills; their recommended dosage can vary from one to three pills daily, and many manufacturers' labels suggest taking CLA with a meal.
"There's a potential link to insulin resistance, which can be a precurser to diabetes" with CLA, says nutritional bio-chemist Sara Kurlandsky, Ph.D., an assistant prefessor of nutrition at Syracuse University in New York. Also, she explains, CLA acts in the body like a trans fatty acid, which has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Like other trans fats, the supplement may cause a reduction in the levels of HDL cholesterol, the "good" kind, as well as an increase in a protein associated with heart disease risk. The bottom line: Put CLA back on the shelf.
I guess I got suckered in and tried yet another worthless pill. I tried one bottle and it didn't do a thing for me, but nothing ever does. I just thought that perhaps it had something in it that I was lacking, but all it did was lighten my pocketbook! *sigh* I know! I know!
CLA - conjugated linoleic acid
