CLA May Aid Weight-Loss in Diabetic Women
Lee Swanson Research Update
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may help reduce body fat mass in post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes. That’s what a study conducted in the United States found recently.
Following 16 weeks of supplementation, CLA was found to reduce body mass index (BMI) by about half a point, total body fat by 3.2 percent and fat tissue weight by about 1.4 kg (three pounds), according to findings of the 36-week randomized, double-blind crossover study.
"In the present study, we observed a significant reduction of BMI with 6.4 g CLA supplementation per day," wrote the researchers, led by Professor Martha Belury from Ohio State University.
"Because BMI had not yet reached a plateau, it is possible that further reductions in BMI are achievable with a longer length of supplementation. The reduced BMI found in our study supports other studies, which have shown weight-loss by CLA."
The Ohio State researchers recruited 55 obese and menopausal female diabetics, 35 of whom completed the study, and assigned them to receive either safflower oil or Tonalin® CLA (derived from natural sunflower oil) for 16 weeks, followed by a four-week washout period and then a cross-over to the next 16-week supplementation period.
At the end of the study, the researchers noted that CLA supplementation reduced body weight, BMI and total adipose mass without altering lean mass. No changes to markers of inflammation and insulin resistance were observed, they added.
"The CLA-induced weight-loss in our study can be attributed to the reduction of adipose tissue mass since a change in lean mass was not observed. Importantly, the adipose-lowering effect of CLA occurred without a change in lean tissue mass, which is particularly significant because menopausal women are at risk for losing lean tissue mass," said Belury.
The safflower oil phase did not affect total body fat readings, but improvements in the weight of the trunk fat tissue were observed, as was an increase in muscle tissue. Moreover, the safflower oil was associated with reduced fasting blood sugar levels.
"Lowering fasting glucose is important for these women. The overall effect in just 16 weeks wasn’t bringing them back to normal, but safflower oil still improved it significantly," Belury explained.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print.