LONDON--Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was shown in a 12-month study to help overweight adults decrease body fat mass (BFM) and increase lean body mass (LBM) by as much as 9 percent. The study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (79, 6:1118-1125, 2004) (www.ajcn.org), is the first to establish the efficacy of CLA supplementation in reducing BFM and increasing LBM over an extended time period without changes in exercise or diet.
The double blind, placebo-controlled study randomized 180 men and women, aged 18 to 65, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 to 30 kg/m2, into three groups receiving capsules containing 4.5 grams per day of Tonalin® CLA-free fatty acid, 4.5 grams per day of Tonalin CLA-triglycerides, or 4.5 grams per day of olive oil (placebo), respectively. Over the 12-month duration, body weight, BMI and adverse events were assessed every three months; body composition and blood samples were also analyzed regularly.
Researchers found a significant decrease in BFM in both groups receiving CLA compared to placebo, and the CLA-free fatty acid group had an increase in LBM compared to placebo. The study results were not attributable to changes in diet or exercise. The authors of the study concluded both forms of CLA cause a significant decrease of body fat mass over a one-year period in healthy, overweight adults.
According to Nina Likins, marketing manager at Cognis Nutrition & Health, which supplies Tonalin CLA, the study is an important milestone in Tonalin history. “The majority of all published, clinical research on CLA has been done with Tonalin CLA, and now we have compelling scientific evidence that will continue to make Tonalin the number-one consumer brand of CLA sold worldwide.”
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