CLA – Conjugated Linoleic Acid
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is an omega-6 fatty acid (polyunsaturated fats). Food sources include eggs, chicken, beef and dairy products. Supplement forms tend to be produced from sunflowers or safflowers. As a supplement, it is named Tonalin.
Benefits
- Weight loss
- May increase Strength
- Muscle tone
- Reduces inflammation
What are the Benefits?
1) Weight loss
A study of 180 people who were obese were separated into three groups. Two groups were given CLA products and 1 group were given a placebo for one year, the subjects had a DEXA scan done to measure the results. The results showed that those who were given CLA had lower body fat mass and higher lean body mass. (1)
those who were given CLA had lower body fat mass and higher lean body mass
2) May increase Strength
Taking conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) either on its own or with certain supplements such as creatine and whey protein may help improve strength and lean muscle mass. This may be the reason that CLA is added to certain bodybuilding supplements (2).
3) Muscle tone
Muscle Tone and “Fat to Lean Body Mass Ratio”
It is reported to work in the body through repartitioning, whereby CLA may help switch calories from food into healthy muscle tissue whilst helping the body to utilise stored fat cells.
4) Reduces inflammation
A study carried out on mice that suffer from arthritis shows that dietary CLA reduced inflammation associated with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), and both c9t11-CLA and t10c12-CLA exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. (3)
CLA synergy and works well with
- Lecithin – to help lower cholesterol levels
- Green Tea – to help lose weight
- L-Carnitine – for toning muscles
- Raspberry ketone may help with weight management
Some things to consider
- According to WebMD, it is not known what effects CLA has on pregnant women or breastfeeding women; therefore, it might be best to avoid it just to be safe.
- Also, it may make diabetes worse, reduce blood clotting and increase the risk of bruising and bleeding, specifically for those with bleeding disorders. Furthermore, because it may increase bleeding, you should avoid CLA directly after surgery and stop the use of it two weeks before the surgery.
- CLA may increase the risk of getting diabetes in those with metabolic syndrome, so do not use CLA if you have metabolic syndrome. (4)
Resources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15159244
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19403955
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20573944
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-826/conjugated-linoleic-acid-cla
