Brooke Warren Nutr750 Assignment #2: Final Draft Conjugated Linoleic Acid: A Cure for Obesity?

What is conjugated linoleic acid? Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a catch all term that describes the many different isomers of the polyunsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid. Isomers are compounds that have the same chemical make-up, but different arrangements. Even though isomers are chemically the same, their different shapes cause them to act differently in the body. Of the 28 arrangements that CLA is found in, two have been found to have an effect in humans. One of these forms makes up approximately 90% of the CLA seen in the human diet. The ratio of the two forms differs greatly depending on whether they are found naturally in food or are in a commercially available supplement. Evidence suggests that the two forms may have different effects on the body, depending on the ratio at which they are consumed. Where is CLA found? CLA is made in the digestive tracks of ruminant animals. Ruminants are animals with a four-compartment stomach such as cows, sheep, and goats. The four-compartments allow these animals to digest plants that a human would be unable to break down, such as grasses. The meat and dairy products produced by these animals are very high in CLA. Low-fat and fat-free dairy products tend to be much lower in CLA because CLA is a fatty acid, which is removed during the processing of these types of foods. The amount of CLA can also be influenced by an animals diet. Grass-fed animals tend to have higher levels of CLA in their meat and dairy products than animals that are grain-fed. Smaller amounts of CLA can also be found in sunflower and safflower oils.

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CLA is also available in commercially produced supplements. These supplements tend to contain a 50:50 mixture of the two isomers that have an effect in the human body. This is different from food sources, which tend to have a much higher percentage of just one of the isomers. The CLA in supplements is a more purified form than that found in food sources. By this we mean that all 28 isomers can be found in foods, whereas only the two that have an effect on humans are found in the supplements. These supplements can be found in any drug store and on multiple internet sites. There is little evidence to indicate whether CLA is better absorbed from food products or the purified supplements. Supplements, however, will have larger amount of CLA in them than food products and research suggests that higher doses may have a greater effect. What are the health implications of CLA supplementation? CLA is purported to have many health benefits. These include: Improving cardiovascular health Reducing the incidence of gastrointestinal, colon, and breast cancers Increasing bone density Improving body composition.

Much of the research done on these possible health benefits has been performed on animals and does not always correlate directly in humans. The effects also seem to be dosedependent. This means that at certain doses CLA may have a positive effects and at other, usually higher, doses it may have a detrimental effect. Can CLA really help people lose weight? With more than one third of the adult population in the United States suffering from obesity, there has been much interest in pharmaceuticals and supplements that will help people

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lose weight. It has been suggested that CLA supplementation may lead to a decrease in body fat and an increase in lean body mass (i.e. Muscle). The majority of early studies on this topic have been done on animals such as mice, hamsters, and pigs. These studies seem to show that CLA does have a positive impact on the animals ability to lose weight. Researchers believe that CLA works in two ways in these animal models. The first is by increasing the animals energy expenditure or the amount of energy needed to maintain a bodys function. The second way is to increase the rate at which fat is broken down in the body. These positive results in animals have lead to an increasing interest in the effect of CLA on humans. Many studies have shown that CLA does have an effect on the body composition of humans. The larger doses of CLA, about 7 grams a day, seem to have a greater impact than smaller doses. One study with 48 participants showed that those taking 7g of CLA a day gained two pounds more muscle mass over a twelve-week period than the participants who were not being supplemented with CLA. A different study with 118 participants, conducted over six months showed that participants taking a CLA supplement lost an average of one pound. The participants who did not supplement with CLA gained an average of two and a half pounds over the same time period. Although these studies seem to indicate that CLA does have an effect on the body composition of humans, there have also been many studies that indicate that CLA does not have any effect. In a six-week study 28 participants were supplemented with 3 grams of CLA per day. They did not lose any more weight than the 27 participants that did not receive a supplement. Several long-term studies lasting between six and twelve months involving hundreds of participants have shown a small amount of weight loss. The participants not taking the CLA supplement, however, also showed about the same amount of weight loss.

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Why is weight loss so important? Obesity rates in the United States have been steadily increasing over the past thirty years. The prevalence of related diseases such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension have also increased with the rise in obesity rates. Research has indicated that people with a larger waist circumference are at a higher risk of developing type II diabetes. Several studies have identified obesity as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obesity is also at least partially related to approximately 70% of all cases of high blood pressure. A moderate decrease in body fat (about 10% of total body weight) has been shown to decrease a persons risk of developing many of these conditions and in some cases may even reverse the disease. Are there any side effects from taking CLA? There have been some side effects associated with the supplementation of CLA. The majority of the complaints are associated with gastrointestinal discomfort. These include stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, and soft stool. CLA has also been shown to increase insulin resistance in obese individuals. Prolonged insulin resistance can lead to a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. CLA has also been shown to increase a persons LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol in both short and long-term studies. High levels of LDL and low levels of HDL are risk factors for developing heart disease. These side effects were generally associated with higher (>7g) doses of CLA and supplements that contain a lower percentage of the form most commonly found in food. What does all this mean for me? There are many health benefits associated with CLA supplementation including increasing cardiovascular health, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, increasing bone

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density, and improving body composition. The use of CLA as an anti-obesity supplement has drawn much interest. There are several studies that indicate that CLA does positively effect body composition. On the other hand, many other studies have indicated that it not only has little effect on body composition, but also may negatively affect some health indicators including blood cholesterol and blood sugar. If you do choose to supplement with CLA, it is important to purchase your supplement from a reputable manufacturer. The FDA does not regulate supplements and therefore some brands might not be as pure as others. It is also important to remember that the dose that seems to illicit an anti-obesity effect is around 7g per day. Most commercial supplements only contain 1g per pill. Sources: Barnes AS. Obesity and Sedentary Lifestyles. Tex Heart I J. 2012;39:224-227 Bhattacharya A, Banu J, Rahman M, Causey J, Fernandes G. Biological effects of conjugated linoleic acids in health and disease. J Nutr Biochem. 2006;17:789-810. Brown AW, Trenkle AH, Beitz. Diets high in conjugated linoleic acid from pasture-fed cattle did not alter markers of health in young women. J Nutr Res. 2011;31:33-41 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Diabetes Surveillance System. Accessed on 10/26/2012 Gaullier JM, Halse J, Hoye K, Kristiansen K, Fagertun HV, Gudmudsen O. Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid for 24 months is well tolerated by and reduces body fat mass in healthy, overweight humans. J Nutr. 2005;135:778-784 Henry SL, Barzel B, Wood-Bradley RJ, Burke SL, Head SL, Armitage JA. Developmental origins of obesity-related hypertension. Clin Exp Pharmacol P. 2012;39:799-806. Pepping J. Alternative therapies: Conjugated linoleic acid. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2006;63:2056-2062 Rainer L, Heiss CJ. Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Health implications and effects on body composition. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:963-968.

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Steck SE, Chalecki AM, Miller P, Conway J, Austin GL, Hardin JW, Albright CD, Thuillier P. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for twelve weeks increases lean body mass in obese humans. J Nutr. 2007;137:1188-1193 The InterAct Consortium. Long-term risk of incident of type 2 diabetes and measures of overall and regional obesity: The EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study. PLoS Med. 2012;9:1-16. Watras AC, Buchholz AC, Close RN, Zhang Z, Schoeller DA. The role of conjugated linoleic acid in reducing body fat and preventing weight gain. Int J Obes. 2007;31:481-487

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