In praise of CLA
 

I haven't seen anything here about CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and I wanted to mention it as something I think really helped me lose.

In May of 2002 I started taking it, and over the next year I lost about fifteen pounds, all without exercising or changing my eating patterns. (I was finishing a degree, starting a new job, and getting married, so I was busy enough.) It did seem to moderate my hunger and helped eliminate sugar cravings.

Then I seemed to hit a wall where I didn't lose any more, and was even starting to creep up again. That's when I started Atkins, and I lost another 15-20 (sorry, don't own a scale) with Atkins in a little over two months.

I think the CLA helped me do so well, and I'm still taking it, because it not only moderates insulin use, it's good for your immune system and has anti-cancer properties. Here's a great link for anyone who is interested:

http://www.cla-conjugated-linoleic-acid-tonalin.com/

Is it all natural or is it a chemical based thing?

I take in gel form
But it says 100% taken from Safflower seeds
the only addition is the gelatin.


So I am guessing it is natural,

not sure who has the crappy job of squishing the seeds for the CLA :)

It's all natural. It's something that used to be in meat and dairy, until they started feeding cows instead of letting them graze.

Can buy at Trader Joe's for around 13.00 for a 90 capsule bottle. You can get a coupon for $1 off at the Webbernaturals website.

I take it currently....SOmething from wal-mart has the Omega 3-6-9...only thing is that they make me *burp*. The ones I take have flax, fish and some other type oil in them.

In previous discussions, some people said that ONLY the Tonalin brand really gave you what you were paying for. However that might have changed. Talk to the people in the health food stores. they often know more.

Hey RickinTN, Haven't seen you in a long long time. How are you and your wife doin? I see your weight is coming down nicely. I missed reading your posts. :D

Black57

I was in a supplement store last weekend. I pointed to various brands of CLA that were not re-marketing Tonalin. The clerk said "Yeah, those don't work as well."

Take it for what it is worth.

______________________________________

Here is a recent article on a study on CLA:



CLA: The New Miracle Weight Loss Pill?


Supplement Decreases Body Fat, Increases Muscle


By Jeanie Lerche Davis
<http://my.webmd.com/content/Biography/7/1756_50703.htm>
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
<http://my.webmd.com/content/Biography/7/1756_53096.htm>
on Monday, May 24, 2004


May 20, 2004 -- Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a contender for the
weight-loss miracle pill. One group of overweight women lost 9% body fat in
one year's time. Not bad, since they didn't change their lifestyle or eating
habits.


"We really believe this is promising," lead researcher Jean-Michel Gaullier,
PhD, with the Scandinavian Clinical Research Group, tells WebMD. His study
appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.


"It is the first time we have looked at the effects of CLA on body
composition to get unequivocal results," he says.



But here's one concern: The volunteers taking CLA had changes in certain
heart disease risk factors. But Gaullier tells WebMD that the changes seen
in cholesterol level and blood sugar levels were not significant.


However, the findings warrant further investigation, says Cindy Moore, MS,
RD, director of nutrition therapy at The Cleveland Clinic and a spokeswoman
for the American Dietetic Association. She agreed to comment on Gaullier's
findings.


"The impact [of CLA] on heart disease and diabetes needs to be investigated
further," Moore tells WebMD. "This is what science is all about, piecing
together studies that provide the bigger, broader picture."


What Is CLA?


CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in meat and dairy products. It
is also a popular dietary supplement that is sold with claims of helping
people lose fat, maintain weight loss, retain lean muscle mass, and control
type 2 diabetes -- the type of diabetes that is often associated with
obesity.


In health food stores, CLA is sold as a pill or as a syrup. The syrup tastes
pretty good and can be mixed with food, Gaullier tells WebMD. "But if you
break the capsules apart and try to mix it with yogurt, it tastes very bad.
It has a very bitter taste."


CLA comes in varying concentrations. Be sure to buy a product containing 80%
CLA to get maximum weight-loss results, he says.


In small studies involving animals, CLA has been shown to prevent heart
disease and several types of cancer, Gaullier says. It also appears to
enhance the immune system.



Smaller studies of CLA's effectiveness in weight loss have shown some
contradictory results -- possibly because they used body fat scales to
measure improvements, and those scales are not very accurate, he tells
WebMD. In his study, Gaullier used a body-scanning technology called DEXA
(dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). "It is very accurate in measuring body
fat," he tells WebMD.


His is the first long-term study of CLA's safety and effectiveness in weight
loss.


Some Weight Loss, Excellent Body Fat Loss


Gaullier's study involved 180 overweight men and women, all between 25 and
30 BMI (body mass index). A BMI -- an indicator of body fat -- over 25 has
been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and other medical
problems, such as diabetes. The volunteers were mostly female -- 149 women
and 31 men.


They were randomly assigned to three groups. The two groups taking CLA got
either the typical off-the-shelf pills (4.5 grams of 80% CLA) daily or the
syrup formulation (3.6 grams of 76% CLA disguised in a capsule) daily. The
third group took a placebo capsule filled with olive oil daily.


Volunteers were not required to change their diet or exercise habits.
However, a nurse did give dietary and exercise advice upon request. Daily
calorie intake was similar among the three groups; all volunteers reduced
their calorie intake a little during the study, he reports. All got about
the same amount of exercise.


"This strongly suggests that the observed effects of CLA on body composition
were independent of diet," he writes. The decreased calorie intake may be
partly due to the supplements and/or a reduced appetite. Also, because
volunteers kept a food diary, they "learned" to cut food intake.


Several times during the 12-month study period, volunteers came to a clinic
to have their weight, BMI, and blood checked. They also completed
questionnaires on their diet and exercise in the previous two weeks.


At the end of one year:


* Both CLA groups lost weight -- about 4 pounds; the placebo group
stayed the same.


* The CLA syrup group had a 9% body fat loss; the CLA pill group had
7% loss; the placebo group had no body fat loss.


* Both CLA groups had similar improvements in muscle mass.



As for the weight loss, "any weight loss is better than no weight loss --
and at least they didn't gain weight," Moore says. "But I'm interested in
the fact that CLA is found naturally in certain foods [like beef, lamb, and
dairy products]. Do we really need to take a supplement?"


Regarding other risk factors:


* The CLA pill group had slightly higher LDL "bad" cholesterol.


* The CLA syrup group had slightly lower HDL "good" cholesterol.


* Both CLA groups had higher lipoprotein levels, a marker of
inflammation and heart disease.


* Both CLA groups had higher levels of leptin, a hormone thought to be
a heart disease marker.


* Both CLA groups had higher white blood cell counts, which could
trigger damaging artery inflammation.


* The CLA groups had only modest changes in blood sugar levels, a
marker for diabetes.


Few volunteers dropped out of the study, indicating that the CLA supplements
had no bothersome side effects, reports Gaullier.


"The results of this study corroborate and expand on the findings of the
previous short-term studies," he writes. His results show that "the effect
is greatest in those with highest body mass index," especially women with a
25 to 30 BMI.


'Normal' Changes in the Body


As far as the heart disease risk factors, the variations seen in the CLA
groups "are within normal physiological range," Gaullier tells WebMD.
Increased white blood cells may reflect the heightened immune response that
other studies have shown. In studies in Holland, CLA has been shown to
prevent some viral infections.


"CLA has also shown promise in animal studies in preventing atherosclerosis
[hardening of the arteries]," he says.


The increased lipoprotein levels may be a byproduct of fat loss, says
Gaullier. "The body does show inflammation caused by the process of
eliminating fat. We think this is what is happening, but we don't know for
certain."


"The mechanism(s) by which CLA decreases body fat mass and increases lean
muscle mass is not completely understood," he writes. "CLA is known to
accumulate in tissues of animals and humans where it is readily
metabolized." CLA may trigger fat cell death, shrink fat cells, or it may
speed up metabolism to promote weight loss, he explains.

CLA dosage
 

Pam how many grams per day of CLA were you taking when you lost weight? I have 500mg pills and the bottle says 3 per day but from what I see in the forums this might not be enough. If i am taking this I would like to take it the proper way so it has some effect (hopefully)

Thanks
Vess

Pills? I have never seen CLA in pill form. Did you get Tonalin branded or something different? 3000mg to 5000mg per day. I think taking it all in the a.m. is preferable.

Sorry, English is not my native language. Bottle says capsules ( i just called them pills for convenience). Does that make any sence? I live in UK and bought from zipvit website, I think their own brand, not Tonalin. The ingredients are CLA (60%)-500mg, Gelatin 131.2mg, Glycerine BP 60.6mg. I hope I've got the right stuff (or close to it?)

When you get your CLA with the Toanlin brand on it you know exactly what you are getting, the good stuff. Now, you will probably notice on your CLA bottle somewhere the little green tonalin logo, even if you are buying it from GNC or Vitamin World (who has really good deals). IIRC, Tonalin came up with the process and the percentages make this an effective Dietary Supplement.

I swear by it, I take 4000-6000 mg a day generally with meals (the softgels usually come in 1000 mg dosages). Keep your eyes peeled, but I have found that Vitamin World has really good deals, especially if you use their free freq buyer card and buy within the first week of the month (usually it's a buy one get one half off).

Thanks for the info. Found the Tonalin in UK!

Tonalin 1000 mg
- CLA (74-82%)
- Oleic Acid (10-20%)
- Palmitic Acid (6%)
- Stearic Acid (3%)

The trouble is those are 4 times the price of the one I got :(( I guess I will just have to stick with what I have at the moment and get the proper one for my next batch. I hope I still get some results. Oh, why am I so dumb?:rolleyes:

Well the important thing is I am still losing right now so I'll stop winging.
Thanks for the advice!

Vess

I concur with Mickster that Tonalin is the best version of CLA. You know then it is made from safflower, not soy. www.tonalin.com (The list of licensees at Cognis' website is frequently not up-to-date, buy the way.)

But Tonalin is Tonalin is Tonalin. Cognis makes Tonalin and licenses it to many company to bottle (such as ThinX, which is a lemony liquid form) or to wrap capsules around. So, you really don't care who is packaging or marketing the Tonalin. You should care that is says Tonalin. Once I see that is says Tonalin, I just buy the cheapest thing you can find.