Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Conjugated linoleic acid, better known as CLA, is a naturally
occurring assortment of fatty acids that are highly prevalent
in a variety of foods, including meats from ruminant animals
(specifically grass-fed animals), high-quality butter, cheeses and
white mushrooms. It has gained a lot of attention in recent years
because of its potential for initiating fat loss. A study published in
the British Journal of Nutrition in March 2007 found that people who
took 3.4 grams of CLA for six months lost more body fat than those
who took a placebo. Women and extremely overweight subjects
lost more body fat than men or those who were a healthy weight.
Another study in the Journal of Internal Medicine Research said that
CLA reduced body fat in healthy exercising humans of normal
bodyweight. Among the research reported was a study published in
The Journal of Nutrition, which found that CLA reduced body fat and
preserved muscle tissue in overweight or obese people who did not
change their diet. According to the scientists, individuals in the CLA
group lost six times more pounds of body fat, on average, compared
to those in the placebo group. However, not all studies show fat-loss
benefits from taking CLA. For example, a study published in the
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2003 found that although CLA
supplementation helped increase feelings of fullness, it didn’t result
in participants eating less or losing any weight. While clinical fat-loss
studies with CLA have seen some mixed results, the health benefits
of this supplement (fights cancer and heart disease, improves insulin
sensitivity) make it worth exploring. }Green Tea
Some studies have systematically explored the effects
between green-tea extract and substrate metabolism
during training. A 2008 study published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated
the effects of acute green-tea-extract ingestion (day
before and right before exercise with 366 milligrams
a day) on substrate metabolism during moderate-
intensity exercise in humans. It turns out that fat
oxidation rates, during a 30-minute bout of cycling,
were significantly higher following green-tea- extract
ingestion versus a placebo. In a similar study from
the Journal of Health Sciences, subjects consumed 218
milligrams a day during a three-month exercise
training period and enjoyed a 24 per cent increase in
fat oxidation rates during exercise than those who
took a placebo. (No effect was seen in a lower dose of
70 milligrams a day over three weeks.) These findings
suggest that higher doses of green-tea extract may
have a favorable effect to enhancing fat oxidation
during exercise.
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oxygenmag.com.au | JULY/AUG 2015 | 121Nutrition