A
Akira
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Excess body fat accumulates via two distinct mechanisms. People either form more adipocytes (fat cells) and/or existing adipocytes absorb too much fat-glucose and become larger. The effect of too many adipocytes and/or bloated adipocytes is the unsightly and unhealthy amassing of body fat.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to decrease the volume of adipocytes and thus reduce body fat. However, many overweight people have too many adipocytes. These people need more than CLA to achieve effective weight control.
In a study presented at a meeting entitled Experimental Biology 2002, scientists supplemented a group of mice with CLA or CLA plus guarana. Guarana is an herb that contains a form of caffeine called guaranine which is 2.5 times stronger than the caffeine found in coffee, tea, and soft drinks. After 6 weeks, both groups of mice showed a substantial reduction in fat mass. In the CLA-only group, the decreased fat mass was due to dramatic reduction in adipocyte size without a change in adipocyte number. In the CLA plus guarana group, both adipocyte size and number were reduced by 50% (FASEB 2002).
The results of this study demonstrate that dietary CLA decreases excess fat accumulation by reducing the capacity of adipocytes to store fat. When guarana is added to CLA, there is an additional effect of reduction in adipocyte number, as well as a decrease in adipocyte size. The impact of this finding in preventing obesity is profound.
In weight-loss studies, CLA consistently shows an ability to reduce body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. In one study, mice fed the human equivalent of 3000-4000 mg a day of CLA achieved a 60% reduction in body fat and a 14% increase of lean body mass (Park et al. 1997). Another study conducted at Louisiana State University showed up to an 88% reduction in the body fat of male mice fed CLA after only 6 weeks (West et al. 1998).
A particularly significant study entitled "Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acids Increase Lean Tissue and Decrease Fat Deposition in Growing Pigs" appeared in the November 1999 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. The key element of the study was the confirmation that CLA is able to decrease fat storage and maintain lean muscle tissue. In this study, researchers used young female pigs to illustrate the effects of combining a relatively small amount of CLA with the pig's normal diet. Pigs have organs and metabolisms similar to humans, so they are good experimental models for human nutrition. Sixty pigs were randomly placed in one of six dietary treatments, one being the control group that received no CLA. Each other group received one of five different concentrations of CLA added to the animals' feed. The pigs had free access to water and their diet at all times (2 kg of food per day) (Ostrowska et al. 1999).
After just 4 weeks of CLA supplementation, there was significantly less fat and more lean tissue in the groups receiving the CLA. After 8 weeks, the pigs with the highest CLA supplementation showed a 31% loss of body fat and a 5% increase in lean tissue. In addition, at the highest level of CLA supplementation, the back fat depth was reduced by 25%. This study was the first to show the profound effects of CLA supplements on the composition and deposition of body fat, in relation to protein, water, and other pig tissues (Ostrowska et al. 1999).
A study in the August 2001 issue of the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders concluded that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces abdominal fat among men classified as abdominally obese. The study participants taking CLA lost an average of 1.4 cm in waist circumference after only 4 weeks (Riserus et al. 2001).
This double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial observed 25 men with significant abdominal fat for 4 weeks. Some participants (14) received 4.2 grams of CLA per day, while the others received placebo. At the conclusion of the study, there was a significant decrease of abdominal diameter among the CLA group. None of the study participants changed their eating or exercise habits during the trial period (Riserus et al. 2001).
Results of this study support data in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. That study concluded that CLA reduced body fat and preserved muscle mass among the 60-person study group. Participants lost an average of 6 lbs while taking CLA (Blankson et al. 2000).
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to decrease the volume of adipocytes and thus reduce body fat. However, many overweight people have too many adipocytes. These people need more than CLA to achieve effective weight control.
In a study presented at a meeting entitled Experimental Biology 2002, scientists supplemented a group of mice with CLA or CLA plus guarana. Guarana is an herb that contains a form of caffeine called guaranine which is 2.5 times stronger than the caffeine found in coffee, tea, and soft drinks. After 6 weeks, both groups of mice showed a substantial reduction in fat mass. In the CLA-only group, the decreased fat mass was due to dramatic reduction in adipocyte size without a change in adipocyte number. In the CLA plus guarana group, both adipocyte size and number were reduced by 50% (FASEB 2002).
The results of this study demonstrate that dietary CLA decreases excess fat accumulation by reducing the capacity of adipocytes to store fat. When guarana is added to CLA, there is an additional effect of reduction in adipocyte number, as well as a decrease in adipocyte size. The impact of this finding in preventing obesity is profound.
In weight-loss studies, CLA consistently shows an ability to reduce body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. In one study, mice fed the human equivalent of 3000-4000 mg a day of CLA achieved a 60% reduction in body fat and a 14% increase of lean body mass (Park et al. 1997). Another study conducted at Louisiana State University showed up to an 88% reduction in the body fat of male mice fed CLA after only 6 weeks (West et al. 1998).
A particularly significant study entitled "Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acids Increase Lean Tissue and Decrease Fat Deposition in Growing Pigs" appeared in the November 1999 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. The key element of the study was the confirmation that CLA is able to decrease fat storage and maintain lean muscle tissue. In this study, researchers used young female pigs to illustrate the effects of combining a relatively small amount of CLA with the pig's normal diet. Pigs have organs and metabolisms similar to humans, so they are good experimental models for human nutrition. Sixty pigs were randomly placed in one of six dietary treatments, one being the control group that received no CLA. Each other group received one of five different concentrations of CLA added to the animals' feed. The pigs had free access to water and their diet at all times (2 kg of food per day) (Ostrowska et al. 1999).
After just 4 weeks of CLA supplementation, there was significantly less fat and more lean tissue in the groups receiving the CLA. After 8 weeks, the pigs with the highest CLA supplementation showed a 31% loss of body fat and a 5% increase in lean tissue. In addition, at the highest level of CLA supplementation, the back fat depth was reduced by 25%. This study was the first to show the profound effects of CLA supplements on the composition and deposition of body fat, in relation to protein, water, and other pig tissues (Ostrowska et al. 1999).
A study in the August 2001 issue of the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders concluded that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces abdominal fat among men classified as abdominally obese. The study participants taking CLA lost an average of 1.4 cm in waist circumference after only 4 weeks (Riserus et al. 2001).
This double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial observed 25 men with significant abdominal fat for 4 weeks. Some participants (14) received 4.2 grams of CLA per day, while the others received placebo. At the conclusion of the study, there was a significant decrease of abdominal diameter among the CLA group. None of the study participants changed their eating or exercise habits during the trial period (Riserus et al. 2001).
Results of this study support data in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. That study concluded that CLA reduced body fat and preserved muscle mass among the 60-person study group. Participants lost an average of 6 lbs while taking CLA (Blankson et al. 2000).
