Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a mixture of different isomers, or chemical forms, of linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid—a type of fat that your body needs for optimum health.
Based on preliminary evidence, CLA has been promoted as a "fat-burning" supplement and as a treatment for diabetes. However, there is little evidence that it works, and growing evidence that CLA might actually worsen blood sugar control in people who are overweight.
Tonalin CLA is a fatty acid derived from safflower oil. Tonalin's potential benefits are cited in U.S. Patent 5,554,646, which states that CLA plays a role in reducing body fat and increasing body protein (muscle) in animals. Clinical trials are currently being conducted to confirm its effects in humans. For best results, take this product in conjunction with the enclosed Maximum Metabolism Weight Loss Plan.
Tonalin conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) contains an amazing 1,000 mg of Tonalin per capsule. CLA has been shown to play a vital role in reducing body fat and increasing muscle tone according to human clinical studies, and laboratory testing.
CLA Tonalin was discovered in 1978 by Michael W. Pariza at the University of Wisconsin while looking for mutagen formations in meat during cooking. CLA is research proven to build muscle, reduce body fat, and induce an optimum cellular environment for improved health!
CLA occurs naturally in foods such as milk, cheese, beef, and lamb as well as many processed foods. However, getting enough CLA from your diet for the preferred benefit would require considerable intake of these types of foods. This is not only impractical, but would also have a seriously negative impact on your metabolism due to the high caloric penalty you would pay. CLA Tonalin is a great buy.
How Does CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) help you lose inches? Scientists have linked the steady rise in obesity in the U.S. over the past 30 years to the reduction of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) in our diets. There are two reasons: Americans have substantially reduced their consumption of beef and dairy products. Additionally, changes in beef and dairy cattle feed (from pasture grasses to forage) have reduced their production of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) by 65%.
Requirements/Sources Linoleic acid is a fatty acid that is commonly found in many plant oils and is the most dominant in, for example, sunflower seed oil. This fatty acid is a so-called polyunsaturated fatty acid with 2 double bonds. The double bonds in polyunsaturated fats usually occur naturally in a specific pattern separated by a typical distance. In conjugated fatty acids the double bonds lie closer to each other than they do in typical polyunsaturated fatty acids.
CLA is found in small quantities in naturally occurring sources. Milk fat contains around 1% CLA. Milk from cows that graze freely contains slightly more. Milk fat also contains a fatty acid called vaccenic acid (approx. 2%), which to a certain extent is converted into CLA in the bodies of animals and humans.
Therapeutic Dosages The typical dosage of CLA ranges from 3 to 5 g daily. As with all supplements taken at this high a dosage, it is important to purchase a reputable brand, as even very small amounts of a toxic contaminant could quickly add up.
Therapeutic Uses While CLA is often called a weight loss supplement, studies have generally failed to confirm this proposed benefit. A meta-analysis (systematic statistical review) of all the data found minimal benefits at most, whether for weight or body composition (ratio of muscle to fat).27
Some animal and test tube studies suggest that CLA might help prevent cancer, but the evidence is preliminary and inconsistent.
A small double-blind trial found weak evidence that CLA might be useful for high cholesterol.
Safety Issues CLA appears to be a generally safe nutritional substance. However, there are some concerns with its use.
During the course of investigations into its effect on fat, CLA was found to act somewhat similarly to some oral medications used for diabetes. This led to research into the possible usefulness of CLA as a treatment for diabetes. In one study, CLA reduced blood sugar levels in diabetic rats as effectively as a standard diabetes treatment.5 The same researchers also performed a small, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in humans. The results indicated that CLA improved insulin responsiveness in people with type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. However, several subsequent studies found opposite and rather alarming results: use of CLA by people with diabetes may worsen blood sugar control; in overweight people without diabetes, CLA might decrease insulin sensitivity, creating a a pre-diabetic state. At present, therefore, individuals with diabetes or at risk for it should not use CLA except under physician supervision.
Maximum safe dosages of CLA for young children, pregnant women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been determined.
