FREDERIKSBERG, Denmark--Supplementing with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may not help in maintaining weight and fat loss. Scandinavian researchers sought to assess the impact of one year's supplementation with CLA (as Tonalin® CLA, from Cognis) on body weight and body fat regain in moderately obese subjects. In the run-in phase, 122 obese subjects (body mass index > 28) underwent an eight-week crash diet. Subjects who lost more than 8 percent of their initial body weight during that phase (n=101) were subsequently assigned to receive CLA (3.4 g/d) or an olive oil placebo in combination with a hypocaloric diet for one year. At the end of the treatment period, there was no significant difference in body weight or body fat mass (BFM) regain between groups, leading the researchers to conclude CLA does not prevent weight or fat regain.
Cognis Nutrition & Health issued a statement regarding the findings, noting that Tonalin was found to be well-tolerated and, when accounting for additional factors, did support the extensive studies that have shown the positive impact of Tonalin on body composition. "The effects of the crash diet, which subjects completed immediately before they started the trial, most likely accounts for the weight regain experienced by participants in both the placebo and CLA groups," Cognis noted. "When taken as part of a healthy diet and exercise regimen, published research demonstrates that Tonalin® CLA does reduce BFM, reduces fat regain, and maintains lean body mass (LBM) among overweight adults." The company further noted participants not taking CLA regained 20 percent more BFM than those who did take CLA; that group regained 100 percent more LBM--not body fat--compared to placebo, contributing to a positive body composition.
The study appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (83, 3:606-12, 2006).
