Thread: Started CLA today. What should I expect in the next 4 weeks with it?

Looking at the clinical studies, which are a mixed bag, I wouldn't expect much in the way of fat loss...

CLA Question
Cla
CLA: Does it work?

CLA INHIBITS PROSTATE CANCER GROWTH AND METASTASIS

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown in physiological concentrations (i.e. low doses) to inhibit proliferation of human tumor cell lines including glioblastoma, melanoma, colorectal, lung, breast,prostatic carcinomaand leukemia.

So I'm guessing that CLA is also good for preventing cancers then.

Pretty good.

Well I guess I'll just have to wait a few weeks & see how it helps me.

http://www.ironmagazine.com/review9.html
http://www.ironmagazine.com/review49.html

Robert DiMaggio

Thanks for the links.

Do you think CLA would be bad for someone who has had a stable thyroid for about 5 months on synthroids?

I've been told it wouldn't interfear seeing how my thyroid is normal.

Also CLA is an Omega-6? I was told that Omega-3 is the only good Omega EFA for you as 6 & 9 isn't that good for you?

Thanks.

I'm no expert on thyroid, but I think that's separate from how CLA works.

Also, it doesn't make you burn more fat on its own like a thermogenic. I also believe that's part of the reason some people think CLA doesn't work (they're used to taking ECA). It's more for minimizing fat gains (especially during bulking). Best reports come from high doses of 8g or up to 12g per day -- by "high dose" I mean "expensive." I liked it with anarchy stack. YMMV

CLA is a great supplement but many people expect it to have "fat burning" effects. CLA does not work like that, it is used to supress lipoprotein lipase (LPL) which is the gate keeper to fat storage in adipocytes...

IMO...CLA is best used when there is a caloric excess to help limit increases in body fat...You also need to consume CLA with meals that contain carbohydrates or it will be oxidized...

it takes months of use at 6 grams a day before it "kicks in"...I love the stuff

Originally Posted by redspy

I wouldn't expect much in the way of fat loss...

CLA is used to keep fat cells from increasing in size, it has no effect on the mobilization or oxidation of FFA's...

I don't agree that it takes some time to kick in, definitely not 6 months. What's your reasoning?

Originally Posted by rrgg

I don't agree that it takes some time to kick in, definitely not 6 months. What's your reasoning?

not my reasoning, what medical study has shown...who said anything about 6 months ?

Ouch, sorry. I must have misread your post. "Months at 6 grams" becomes "6 months" when you're tired.

It my experience, CLA doesn't take months to kick in. Using the same dieting and cardio, I noticed more fat loss over 5-6 weeks of using CLA than usual.

rrgg

I'm no expert on thyroid, but I think that's separate from how CLA works.

Also, it doesn't make you burn more fat on its own like a thermogenic. I also believe that's part of the reason some people think CLA doesn't work (they're used to taking ECA). It's more for minimizing fat gains (especially during bulking). Best reports come from high doses of 8g or up to 12g per day -- by "high dose" I mean "expensive." I liked it with anarchy stack. YMMV

I was going to say that I don't think it directly attacks the thyroid as ephedrine/ephedra & thermogenics do.

It's an EFA & an anti-oxidant if I'm not mistaken, not a thermogenic or ephedrine/ephedra or thermogenic.

I also take Omega 3 from fish oils & flax seed oil & they work in a similar manner to CLA & they don't attack the thyroid in fact they are recommended for ppl who are being treated for a thyroid problem even if their thyroid is stable.

I've also read that CLA is recommended as well.

LAM

CLA is a great supplement but many people expect it to have "fat burning" effects. CLA does not work like that, it is used to supress lipoprotein lipase (LPL) which is the gate keeper to fat storage in adipocytes...

IMO...CLA is best used when there is a caloric excess to help limit increases in body fat...You also need to consume CLA with meals that contain carbohydrates or it will be oxidized...

it takes months of use at 6 grams a day before it "kicks in"...I love the stuff

Most supplements such as these are better taken with food/carbs that is true.

But it takes literally that long? Half a year to work?

I wonder why so long?

Thanks for your input guys.

Johnnny - I don't see how that's at odds with what I said. Maybe you didn't mean to quote me in your response.

It was said to take months to kick in, not 6 months. CLA is not a fatburner. It won't make large fat cells get smaller, but it will help keep small fat cells from getting bigger.

In 4 weeks I would expect you to have less money than you started with..........that's what I think you will see.

Yes topolo, you'll have less money. That's the downside. CLA is expensive at an effective dose, but it definitely worked. If cheaper I'd use it more often. ... having said that, I don't think "value" was the question posed here anyway.

Originally Posted by LAM

CLA is used to keep fat cells from increasing in size, it has no effect on the mobilization or oxidation of FFA's...

If you look around at some of the health claims/qualified health claims that's not the message consumers get. I have used it at 8g+ per day (I have access to free product) and took it while under maintenance calories and didn't notice any difference to not supplementing and being under maintenance. May be it works for some people, but personally I don't bother taking it anymore.

Here's another viewpoint on CLA, I'm not entirely convinced as this guy has some commercial interests in non supplemented CLA......

CLA: The Secret Weapon in the Battle Against Cancer By Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege

Most people are now familiar with the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but there is another fatty acid that is making its way to the top of the list in terms of health potential. This fatty acid is CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid, and it has become widely popular in the form of expensive dietary supplements because of its anti-cancer and fat-fighting properties. In fact, CLA is so potent a cancer fighter that animal studies show as little as 0.5 percent CLA in the diet could reduce tumors by over 50 percent. Along with being a cancer fighter, CLA helps the body to rid itself of fat.

Why You Don't Want CLA Supplements


I'll discuss more about the benefits of this compound below, but I first want to make one thing clear. I do not recommend that you take CLA supplements of any form. As with all nutrients, it is better to get them from food than from synthetic supplements. Natural CLA found in foods is far superior to a man-made version in pill form--not to mention that CLA supplements are outrageously expensive.


Further, studies have shown the type of CLA used in supplements has been associated with an array of side effects, which include:

• Promoting insulin resistance
• Raising glucose levels
• Reducing HDL (good cholesterol)
• Stomach upset
  
  
  
  

Natural CLA in Grass-Fed Animal Foods

Your body does not make CLA, so you may be wondering how you can get natural CLA in your diet. Well there is good news: animal products like meat and dairy from grass-fed animals are rich in natural and healthy CLA. So simply increasing your intake of grass-fed meat products will increase your intake of this important fatty acid.

There is an important distinction to make here, though. Many Americans do not get enough CLA for two reasons. First, Americans as a whole have wrongly shunned many animal products when the "fear of fat" mentality swept across the nation. These animal products were contributing many health-promoting qualities to our health and CLA was just one of them. Second, most animals are no longer raised on their natural diet, grass, and instead are being raised primarily in factory farms where they are artificially fattened on grains. If you simply start eating more commercially raised meat that is in most grocery stores, your health will not benefit because these animals were not fed a healthy diet. Grass-fed animals, on the other hand, have from three to five times more CLA than grain-fed animals.

So if you're looking to increase your CLA, the best way is through grass-fed animal products. This includes not only grass-fed beef but also dairy products from grass-fed cows like raw milk, raw butter and raw milk cheese.

Why You Want CLA in Your Diet


As I mentioned above, CLA is a potent cancer-fighting substance. Animal studies have shown it could reduce the risk of numerous types of cancers including breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, skin and stomach.


Another major effect of CLA is its role in body fat. A study published in the June 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said animal studies have shown that CLA inhibits the formation of building fat. Not only does it appear to reduce body fat, it does so while preserving muscle tissue. This is why it is so widely sold as a dietary supplement to body builders and dieters alike, but, as I mentioned above, the only safe way to increase CLA in your diet is from grass-fed animal products--not from supplements.

But that is not all. As Mary Shoman writes, studies suggest that CLA also:

• Increases metabolic rate
• Decreases abdominal fat
• Enhances muscle growth
• Lowers cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lowers insulin resistance
• Reduces food-induced allergic reactions
• Enhances immune system

Where Can You Get Healthy, Natural CLA?

As I have mentioned, it is important to understand that once cows, or other grass-eating animals, are fed grains, they stop producing CLA. So the ideal source to get CLA naturally, and I might add at no charge or risk, is to get it from 100 percent, exclusively grass-fed animals. The least expensive way to obtain grass-fed beef would be to find a local farmer that is producing it and purchase it from him directly to avoid high shipping fees. We also carry 100 percent grass-fed beef on our site.

As for grass-fed dairy products, you can search your local health food stores for these types of items, as many carry butter, cheese and milk from grass-fed cows. However, if you want the ideal source, you should seek out raw dairy from grass-fed cows. You can find raw, grass-fed cheese on this site, and we will have raw milk in the months to come, but until then if you are unable to find a local dairy farmer who will cooperate with you please try this link: http://www.realmilk.com/where.html.

Originally Posted by rrgg

Yes topolo, you'll have less money. That's the downside. CLA is expensive at an effective dose, but it definitely worked. If cheaper I'd use it more often. ... having said that, I don't think "value" was the question posed here anyway.

how is CLA expensive ? @ $17/month, far from expensive

http://www.1fast400.com/?products_id=35

Originally Posted by redspy

If you look around at some of the health claims/qualified health claims that's not the message consumers get. I have used it at 8g+ per day (I have access to free product) and took it while under maintenance calories and didn't notice any difference to not supplementing and being under maintenance. May be it works for some people, but personally I don't bother taking it anymore.

like I stated CLA is best used when there is a caloric excess. to keep fat gains to a minimum while bulking...do some research on CLA and LPL

what people don't understand is that all supplements don't "work" for everybody. just like 30% of the bb population are creatine non-responders when it comes to traditional creatine monohydrate, the effective dose of 6 grams of CLA a day may not supress LPL to the same degree in one person as it does another. that doesn not mean that CLA, doesn't work...

how is CLA expensive ? @ $17/month, far from expensive

I should have qualified my statement.

After reading various firsthand accounts of what worked and didn't, I used 12g+ per day. I also used Tonalin brand, even though I'm not sure that matters. 30 days of that comes out to $58. The NOW product might be just as good, so maybe I'll try it next. My dose would require 2 bottles which is only $34. Thanks.

Originally Posted by LAM

like I stated CLA is best used when there is a caloric excess. to keep fat gains to a minimum while bulking...do some research on CLA and LPL

I've done lots of research thanks. Two of my friends are PhDs and work closely with R&D departments on CLA - they have little confidence at this point, although time will tell with lots of new research coming out. I've tried it with various tactics and nothing has worked for me. I'm not representative of the whole population of course and results will vary.

Originally Posted by LAM

what people don't understand is that all supplements don't "work" for everybody. just like 30% of the bb population are creatine non-responders when it comes to traditional creatine monohydrate, the effective dose of 6 grams of CLA a day may not supress LPL to the same degree in one person as it does another. that doesn not mean that CLA, doesn't work...

Again, I didn't say CLA is completely ineffective for everyone. I stated that it didn't work for me. I could take 20g of CLA ED for free but based on my personal experience it's not worth the time. There are success stories out there of course, but the majority of feedback I've seen isn't that positive. Some of that feedback could be a result of how it's promoted out there by less scrupulous supplement companies.

Some of that feedback could be a result of how it's promoted out there by less scrupulous supplement companies.

I was actually very skeptical of CLA for years for those same reasons. I finally tried it because of a lot of feedback on the cuttingedge board.

I could take 20g of CLA ED for free but based on my personal experience it's not worth the time.

How much time does it take to swallow a few pills? LOL!

Originally Posted by redspy

I've done lots of research thanks.

funny seems to me then if you had actually done lots of research then you would know that CLA is best used by bodybuilders as a nutrient partitioning agent when there is a caloric excess and not for fat loss...

Originally Posted by LAM

funny seems to me then if you had actually done lots of research then you would know that CLA is best used by bodybuilders as a nutrient partitioning agent when there is a caloric excess and not for fat loss...

Most of the clinicals I've seen haven't used "caloric excess" as one of the criteria so why should I arrive at that conclusion? Because you say so?

Don't make me stop this car!

Originally Posted by rrgg

How much time does it take to swallow a few pills? LOL!

It's not a matter of time, it's a matter of faith in the product. Like a lot of others on this board I take variety of pills with meals (e.g. a multi, multi mineral, fish oil, acidophilus, glucosamine, flax etc) and I don't want to take too many more.

For the brand I bought it costs $15 for 45 capsules & you have to take 2 a day. So that maybe $30/month easily for 2 bottles a month.

For the brand I bought it costs $15 for 45 capsules & you have to take 2 a day. So that maybe $30/month easily for 2 bottles a month.

I assume this is for 1g per softgel, and 2g per day is not enough.

Besides, you're not comparing prices properly. I was talking about the cost of 12g per day at $58 per month. If you only want 2g per day, then my tonalin brand CLA is $9.60 per month.

Edited to add:

For NOW brand, that's about $5-6 per month.