CLA Supplementation for a Leaner, Healthier Physique

CLA has been around for years in the supplement world and has shown to do some amazing things in animal models. When CLA hit the supplement scene it was promoted as a powerful anabolic agent, which was guaranteed to get you ripped and more musclar in no time. As with similar supplement crazes that have come-and gone, effects in animal models did not quite measure up to effects in humans. CLA actually does some absolutely amazing things in rats- if you have a pet rat and you get him jacked up on some CLA he will lose a ton of body fat and gain muscle, getting in far-better shape than the average rat. Of course, these animal studies were often cited by the supplement companies. The average consumer takes a look at the bottle, reads about all of these wonderful effects and sees that they are cited from the research literature- at this point they are sold. (who ever looks up those obscure references on the supplement-bottle anyway?)

CLA does have some wonderful, yet more subtle effects in humans, however, so much-so that there will be a series of articles on the subject here at Pinnacle Fitness. The effects in this particular installment of the CLA story involve the results of a recent study in which groups of healthy subjects were evaluated after 6 weeks of CLA supplementation. Follow this link to CLA in the literature for a more in-depth analysis of the nuts an bolts of the study and its potential implications.
There were four groups of subjects in the study including CLA, CLA+exercise, exercise-only, and a negative control; no CLA or exercise. Exercise consisted of 30 min cardio 3x/week, CLA dose was 3.6 grams/day (a typical supplemental dose), and the study lasted for 6 weeks. The results were that all experimental groups (all but the control group) lost weight. The CLA and CLA+ exercise group, however, also experienced an increase in lean mass. The CLA only group lost weight and gained muscle with no exercise! The most dramatic results, as expected, were in the CLA+ exercise group in terms positive changes in body composition. It seems that CLA influences insulin sensitivity, as the groups receiving CLA showed a decrease in serum insulin and glucose concentrations. It has been known for quite some time that leaner-type people typically have lower insulin levels, most likely due to an enhanced insulin sensitivity; CLA seems to work by a similar mechanism. All technical details aside, CLA supplementation in addition to a healthy diet and well-designed exercise program will help you achieve your goals faster and will contribute greatly to your overall health and fitness. There are so many more benefits to CLA that there will be regular installments on this wonderful supplement (along with EFAs) here at Pinnacle Fitness. Forget Protein powder, glutamine, creatine, etc; EFAs are the most important supplement that you could ever take. To receive cutting-edge fitness tips as soon as they are published on our site, subscribe to Pinnacle Fitness by email to receive posts automatically as they are published.
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