Things that boost the level of inflammation in human bodies generally accelerate aging and are to be avoided. With that in mind, the popular use of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to take off fat might be a bad idea. In a controlled trial CLA lowered the good HDL cholesterol but boosted some markers for inflammation such as C-Reactive Protein (CRP).
Lean body mass increased by 0.64 kg in the 6.4 g/d CLA group (P < 0.05) after 12 wk of intervention. Significant decreases in serum HDL-cholesterol and sodium, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, and significant increases in serum alkaline phosphatase, C-reactive protein, and IL-6, and white blood cells occurred in the 6.4 g/d CLA group, although all values remained within normal limits. The intervention was well tolerated and no severe adverse events were reported, although mild gastrointestinal adverse events were reported in all treatment groups. In conclusion, whereas CLA may increase lean body mass in obese humans, it may also increase markers of inflammation in the short term.
Anyone taking CLA or thinking of doing so ought to think twice.
The study had pretty good controls.
Susan Steck (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA) and colleagues performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among 48 adults who were obese but otherwise healthy.
I'd love to see the equivalent of this trial performed for a very large assortment of foods and supplements. Which foods raise HDL, lower inflammation, and maybe even reduce body fat? So an foods exist which provide benefits on all these measures at once?
By Randall Parker at 2007 April 29 01:02 PM Aging Diet Studies | TrackBackThis is not a reason to rethink CLA. It merely adds a cautionary element if your HDL is way out whack.
Everything in life is a trade of some sort.
Of course CLA is inflammatory -- it's a freaking trans-fat -- old news. But it is unique in that it is deadly to fat cells and deadly to precancerous cells. (Lean body mass increases are also especially useful, especially in athletes past their prime muscle adaptation age.) And it helps normalize abnormal blood sugars in some. (Data on this is still iffy...)
CLA's benefits are clear. The transient elevation of markers is not as important as the elimination of deadly fat stores or the induction of apoptosis in pre-cancerous cells.
Remember -- fat is an amplifier of cytokine signaling. The less fat the better off you are.
Remember -- you generate cancer cells every day. Many go to seed tissue and but for the grace of the hostile microenvironment don't grow. But CLA kills them and any other dysplastic tissue you might have around.
The proper way to use CLA is with diet and excersize, with a 6-wk on, 6-wk off cycle. Amplify the CLA cycle with guarana to actually reduce number of fat cells, and not just their size.