Does conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) promote lean body mass?
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Dr. Michael T Murray answered:Human studies have focused on the ability of CLA to help promote lean body mass during weight loss programs, which have been somewhat promising. For example, researchers from the University of Wisconsin recruited eighty obese people and had half of them take 3,000 milligrams of CLA (Tonalin) daily, while the other half took a placebo. They were all put on a diet program and encouraged to exercise.
Weight loss was about the same for both groups, an average of 5 pounds. So, why take CLA? Those taking CLA reported less fatigue, dizziness, and nausea than those on the placebo. But, the real advantage was that while the people taking the placebo put the weight back on mainly as fat, the people taking CLA who put weight back on put it on primarily as lean muscle, not as fat. In other words, CLA promoted an increase in lean muscle mass and a decrease in the percentage of body fat. In another double-blind study, supplementation with CLA (Tonalin) at a dosage of 4.5 grams per day for a twelve-month period helped overweight adults decrease their body fat mass and increase their lean body mass by as much as 9 percent. This 2004 study was the first to clearly establish the efficacy of CLA supplementation over an extended time period without changes in exercise or diet.
Human studies have focused on the ability of CLA to help promote lean body mass during weight loss programs, which have been somewhat promising. For example, researchers from the University of Wisconsin recruited eighty obese people and had half of... More
