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Fitness Training: The Latest on Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
by Jack Kenefick on March 10, 2010
CLA reduces belly fat, increases lean muscle mass, and improves the catabolism of adipose tissue (fat burning) in mammals. In mice, geese, pigs, and a variety of other mammals, supplementing with CLA improves energy, performance, lean muscle mass, and reduces fat. It also helps stop age related muscle loss. So, should you run out and jump on the CLA bandwagon? Well, not so fast.
In humans the news isn’t as stellar. The bad news? According to recent studies, humans aren’t as receptive as other mammals. The effect is almost immediate, but not incredibly significant. It’s not as good at improving catabolism in humans, so you aren’t going to see significant fat loss without a good diet. CLA also increases overall inflammation and oxidative stress, and the inflammatory markers studied are highly correlated with heart disease. It decreases insulin sensitivity which makes it hard for the body to absorb glucose and amino acids, and increases the risk of diabetes.
The good news is, studies also show that while CLA may not be good at decreasing fat in humans, it does seem to prevent muscle catabolism (the muscle loss associated with low calorie diets) as well as age related muscle loss. It helps build lean muscle mass, and there’s even some promising evidence that it has cancer fighting properties.
If you’re weight loss training: It’s not a magic pill. The effect on fat reduction is minimal, and it isn’t going to replace hard work. Diet and exercise are still the key to weight loss, but it may help you maintain your muscle mass while on a low calorie diet.
If you’re strength training: You might consider supplementing during a mass building phase rather than continuously.
For those that decide to supplement with CLA it’s probably wise to stick to a supplement that is as close to natural occurring CLA as possible. Naturally occurring CLA has more c9 and t11 linoleic isomers and less t10 and c12. Some companies are creating formulas that have more of the t10 and c12 because they are more effective at increasing fat loss. However, these are the isomers most associated with the inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell damage which are the possible risks associated with CLA supplementation.
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