Diabetes & The Body

Anti-Fat Effects of Conjugated Linoletic Acid

Shedding excess body fat is a matter of life or death. Epidemiological reports reveal sharply increased risks for cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes and certain cancers in those who fail to maintain normal weight.

Excess body fat accumulates via two distinct mechanisms. People either form more adipocytes (fat cells), and/or existing adipocytes absorb too much fat-glucose and become larger. The effect of too many adipocytes and/or bloated adipocytes is the unsightly and unhealthy amassing of body fat.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to decrease the volume of adipocytes and thus reduce body fat. However, many overweight people have too many adipocytes. These people need more than CLA to achieve effective weight control.

Dietary CLA decreases excess fat accumulation by reducing the capacity of adipocytes to store fat. When guarana is added to CLA, there is an additional effect of reduction in adipocyte number, as well as a decrease in adipocyte size. The impact of this finding in preventing obesity is profound.

History of CLA

In weight-loss studies, CLA consistently shows an ability to reduce body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass.

CLA improves insulin sensitivity, making it an agent that could possibly be used in the prevention and treatment of adult-onset diabetes. By virtue of this same mechanism, CLA also becomes an effective anti-atherogenic and anti-obesity therapy. Other studies found that CLA lowers total and LDL cholesterol in rabbits with a subsequent reduction in the incidence of atherosclerosis.

In weight-loss studies, CLA consistently shows an ability to reduce body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. In one study, mice fed the human equivalent of 3000 mg to 4000 mg a day of CLA achieved a 60% reduction in body fat and a 14% increase of lean body mass. Another study conducted at Louisiana State University showed up to an 88% reduction in the body fat of male mice fed CLA-after only six weeks!

A particularly significant study entitled "Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acids Increase Lean Tissue and Decrease Fat Deposition in Growing Pigs" was published in the November 1999 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. The key element of the study was the confirmation that CLA is able to decrease fat storage and maintain lean muscle tissue. In this study, researchers used young female pigs to illustrate the effects of combining a relatively small amount of CLA with the pig's normal diet.

Pigs have organs and metabolisms similar to humans, so they are good experimental models for human nutrition. Sixty pigs were randomly placed in one of six dietary treatments, one being the control group that received no CLA. Each other group received one of five different concentrations of CLA added to the animals' feed. The pigs had free access to water and their diet at all times (two kilograms of food per day).

After just four weeks of CLA supplementation, there was significantly less fat and more lean tissue in the groups receiving the CLA. After eight weeks, the pigs with the highest CLA supplementation showed a 31% loss of body fat and a 5% increase in lean tissue. In addition, at the highest level of CLA supplementation, the back fat depth was reduced by 25%. This study was the first to show the profound effects of CLA supplements on the composition and deposition of body fat, in relation to protein, water and other pig tissues.

CLA is a unique supplement because not only does it guard against serious diseases, but it is also an effective tool for one of the most serious conditions affecting Americans-obesity. As more and more Americans join the ranks of the overweight, millions more start diets that are usually destined to failure.

Preventing cancer while losing weight

CLA is not just for fat-loss. Studies show it may help protect against many diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer.

Later, significant cancer preventing properties were shown when CLA was added to the diet. A study revealed CLA to be a "potent cancer preventative agent in animal models." Specifically, it was determined that feeding CLA to female rats while they were young and still developing conferred life-long protection against breast cancer. This preventative action was achieved by adding only enough CLA to equal 0.8% of the animal's total diet. This compares favorably with Life Extension's recommendation of 3000 mg to 4000 mg daily, which is approximately 1% of the average human diet.

CLA was also shown to prevent mammary cancer if given before the onset of puberty. And even more important, if CLA was ingested during the time of the "promotion" phase of cancer development, the rats were conferred substantial protection from further developing breast cancer. Another significant finding was that CLA appeared to actually inhibit the growth of normal mammary epithelial cell organoids and induced apoptosis or cell death of those same cells. The researchers concluded that this led to a reduction in the density of the developing mammary glands in rats and therefore, the incidence of breast cancer was reduced.

In the June 1999 issue of the journal Carcinogenesis, CLA was shown to reduce the size of breast tissue in rats and thereby reduce the incidence of carcinogenesis.[15] In a study published in the May-June 1998 issue of Anticancer Research, it was shown that CLA is also able to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer. CLA, as the article went on to say, can be considered a powerful prostate cancer preventative, as well as a partial treatment.

CLA may work via a similar mechanism to anti-diabetic drugs such as Avandia and Actos to not only enhance insulin-sensitivity, but also protect against cancer. A report in the September 2000 issue of the journal Medical Hypotheses pointed out that a number of human cancer cell lines express the PPARgamma transcription factor, and agonists for PPARgamma can promote apoptosis in these cell lines and impede their clonal expansion both in vitro and in vivo. CLA can activate PPARgamma in rat adipocytes, possibly explaining CLA's antidiabetic effects in Zucker fatty rats. The report concluded by stating, "It is thus reasonable to suspect that a portion of CLA's broad spectrum anticarcinogenic activity is mediated by PPARgamma activation in susceptible tumors."

(The term "PPARgamma" is an acronym for "peroxisome proliferator activator-receptors-gamma." A PPAR gamma agonist such as Avandia, Actos or CLA activates the PPARgamma receptor. This class of drug is being investigated as a potential adjuvant therapy against certain types of cancer.)

How CLA induces fat loss

In the May 2002 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, a study was done to ascertain the effects of CLA on calorie burning and fat storage in mice. CLA was shown to lower the amount of ingested food that was stored as body fat. CLA also increased the amount of fat excreted in the feces. The study found that CLA induced a reduction in body fat mass on mice fed either a calorie restricted or normal diet. The scientists defined the term "energy expenditure" as being the amount of food ingested minus the food retained on the body carcass and in the feces. CLA-fed mice showed a 74% increase in energy expenditure. The scientists thus concluded that the lower amount of ingested food stored on the body carcass was accounted for by this significant increase in energy expenditure.

CLA supplementation has been shown to improve the lean mass to body fat ratio, decreasing fat deposition, especially on the abdomen, and enhancing muscle growth. CLA enhances insulin sensitivity so that fatty acids and glucose can pass through muscle cell membranes and away from fat tissue. This results in an improved muscle to fat ratio.

CLA may also be antidiabetogenic, as it helps prevent insulin resistance. If the current animal study results are corroborated, CLA may prove to be important not only in the prevention of diabetes, but also as a new therapy for adult-onset diabetics, aimed at lowering insulin resistance. Findings presented at the 220th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), August 2000, suggest a role for the compound in both glucose control and weight loss.

How guarana induces fat loss

Guarana is an herb that contains a form of caffeine called guaranine, which is 2.5 times stronger than the caffeine found in coffee, tea and soft drinks. What makes guaranine unique from caffeine found in beverages is its slower release. That's because the guarana seed is fatty (even in powder form) and is not readily water-soluble. Therefore the body does not quickly absorb it.

Since the guaranine is released slowly, the energy boost that is experienced from guarana is not like that of coffee with its sudden rush and quick drop-off. Rather, it continues to escalate over hours.

While caffeine from beverages provides a short-lived energy burst that overheats and excites the body, guaranine has a cooling action that revitalizes and relaxes. This is because guarana contains other components that modify the activity of this substance. The end result is more beneficial to the body than tea or coffee.

Caffeine accelerates the effectiveness of CLA, thus making CLA a more potent fat burner. Guarana has been shown to stimulate the migration of lipids so fat can be burned as energy. It is also an appetite suppressant.

Guarana aids in a temporary, natural increase in body temperature and metabolic thermogenesis through nutritional stimulation of the body's ß receptor pathway, which can induce the breakdown and release of stored body fat, thereby allowing stored fats to be turned into energy.

Thermogenesis refers to the body's production of heat, a normal part of metabolic processes. Thermogenesis can be enhanced by certain nutritional substances. When stimulated through appropriate dietary supplementation, thermogenesis is also a mechanism that increases metabolic rate. Stored body fat, if released and available for use, can provide the fuel for this increased metabolic rate.

Other active constituents of guarana are theobromine and theophylline, which are called xanthines (a class of thermogenic substances found in coffee, tea and certain beans). They have some effect on increasing metabolic rate, suppressing appetite and enhancing both physical and mental performance. They also act as muscle relaxants and possess diuretic properties.

Guarana increases mental alertness, fights fatigue, and increases stamina and physical endurance. Native to Brazil, guarana is taken daily as a health tonic by millions of Brazilians. It is reported to help overcome heat fatigue, detoxify the blood and is useful for flatulence and obesity. In body care products, it has been used for its tonifying and astringent properties, and in the treatment of cellulite.

Conclusion

The effect of CLA on blocking excess absorption of serum glucose and fatty acids into adipocytes (fat cells) is remarkable. CLA induces a reduction in the size of adipocytes. One reason people gain weight as they age is that their adipocytes literally become fatter.

Another cause of increased body fat storage is the proliferation of adipocytes. While CLA helps block the absorption of fat and sugar into adipocytes, it does not reduce the actual number of adipocytes present. Guarana has been shown to specifically reduce the number of adipocytes. When CLA was combined with guarana, there was a 50% reduction in adipocyte number.

While many published studies document the fat-reducing effects of CLA, the fact that CLA may protect against cancer, vascular disease and Type II diabetes makes it a preferred supplement for health conscious people to use daily.

In response to the study showing an added benefit when CLA is combined with guarana, a new supplement has been formulated that contains potencies of CLA and guarana that have demonstrated fat-losing effects in published studies.