Yo-Yo...Naa

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

HSI e-Alert - Yo-Yo...Naa

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:04:03 -0400

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Yo-Yo...Naa

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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April 11, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

For people who struggle to manage their weight, the problem of

yo-yoing between weight loss and weight regain may have met its match.

 

By now many HSI members are familiar with the dramatic health benefits

of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that's shown promise

as an anticancer agent. In the e-Alert " Beef 'n' Butter " (4/20/04), I

looked at CLA studies and testimonials that showed how CLA may also

help replace body fat with lean body mass.

 

But some important questions linger amid these benefits. Last

September, the New York Times carried an in-depth article that

reviewed the pros and cons of supplementing with CLA. The primary

problem cited: Although CLA has been researched for many years, no

studies have examined the potential adverse effects in the long-range

use of the supplement.

 

Until now, that is.

 

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So nice, they tested twice

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This month, the Journal of Nutrition published a study conducted by a

team of scientists from several medical centers in Norway.

 

More than 150 overweight subjects participated in a one-year trial

that compared the effects of CLA to a placebo. At the end of the year

134 subjects agreed to sign on for an additional year of open testing,

with each subject receiving 3.4 grams of CLA daily. This second phase

was specifically designed to assess the safety of CLA in two ways;

with clinical chemistry analysis and reports on adverse events from

the subjects. Changes in body fat mass (BFM), lean body mass (LBM),

body weight and other factors were also tracked.

 

Overall, the subjects had no change in fasting blood glucose. Total

cholesterol and LDL were reduced overall, while triglycerides and HDL

remained the same. LBM was generally unchanged. Subjects who started

out with the highest BFM lost the most body fat during the first year

of the study. Significantly, these subjects did not regain any of the

fat over the full two-year testing period, avoiding the yo-yoing

effects of weight loss and regain. Subjects who took CLA only during

the second year lost an average of 3.5 pounds while also reducing body

fat.

 

As for safety issues, the researchers found CLA to be well tolerated.

A small percentage of mild reactions (mostly gastrointestinal) were

reported, and the rate of adverse events decreased during the second

year of the study.

 

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Short of a miracle

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There are a few caveats concerning this study that should be noted.

 

First: The funding came from Cognis, a company that produces a popular

CLA supplement called TONALIN.

 

Second: CLA is not a replacement for the two things that will help

people lose weight; regular exercise and a balanced diet free of

highly processed foods. You may have noticed the detail above about

the subjects who took CLA only during the second year of the study and

lost an average of 3.5 pounds overall. That's not an impressive weight

loss by any standard. But those subjects did show a body fat

reduction. So while CLA isn't a miracle diet pill, some people will

find it helpful in addressing body fat.

 

This aspect of CLA is nicely described by Michael W. Pariza, Ph.D.,

who discovered CLA. Dr. Pariza told WebMD Medical News that people who

take CLA in an attempt to lose weight will be disappointed if they

don't improve their diet and exercise patterns.

 

Finally, the safety record in the Norway study was generally good, but

a few inconsistencies developed that should be noted by dieters (and

their doctors) before using CLA. For instance, cholesterol changes

were generally positive, but some subjects increased lipoprotein

levels. Meanwhile, other subjects had an increase in white blood cells

and blood platelet counts. This is a red flag that signals possible

inflammation, which could complicate blood vessel health over time.

 

So even though this trial provides safety reassurances, the

researchers noted in their conclusions that the association between

CLA and heart health is still unclear.

 

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Eating & supplementing

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As I've mentioned in previous e-Alerts, dietary sources of CLA include

butter, beef and whole milk, but only when these foods come from

grass-fed cattle. CLA levels drop when cattle are fed grain and hay.

And for optimum nutrition from dairy products, raw unpasteurized milk

is always far preferable to the pasteurized milk you'll find on most

grocery shelves.

 

When Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., wrote about CLA in the November 2000

issue of his Nutrition and Healing newsletter, he noted that

supplements of CLA should be taken with a broad range of other fatty

acids, such as flaxseed oil, which contains a majority of omega-3

fatty acids, but also omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. In addition,

vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol along with other tocopherols) should be

taken with any fatty acid supplement to help keep the acids from

oxidizing and forming free radicals.

 

A quick side note: Remember that men who are at high risk of prostate

cancer should avoid using flaxseed oil, which may encourage growth of

prostate cancer cells. In this case, freshly ground flaxseed provides

a safe alternative.

 

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....and another thing

 

" A fantastic day for health freedom! "

 

That was the leadoff sentence of an e-mail I received from the

Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) last week. And while the news in the

e-mail was certainly good, I think it's premature to uncork the

champagne just yet.

 

In several e-Alerts over the past couple of years I've told you about

the European Union (EU) Directive on Dietary Supplements that aims to

reclassify vitamin and herbal supplements as medical drugs, mandate

low dosage levels, and outlaw many supplement ingredients that are

currently widely available. This directive is scheduled to go into

effect this coming August.

 

But now...maybe not.

 

The ANH and several other European organizations challenged the

directive in the European Court of Justice, and last week an advocate

general ruled that the directive infringes on " basic principles of

Community law. " He recommended that the directive should not become law.

 

The court will issue a final decision on the recommendation in June or

July. ANH officials are confident that the court will decide in their

favor because the court's judges tend to agree with advocate general's

rulings in most cases.

 

So for the next three months the fate of the directive will hang in

the balance. But even if the court gives the OK to the advocate

general's recommendation, EU commissioners may rework and soften the

directive and give it another try. So in spite of the celebratory tone

of the ANH, this is, unfortunately, not a done deal by any means.

 

I'll continue to watch this situation and keep you posted.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Supplementation with Conjugated Linoleic Acid for 24 Months Is Well

Tolerated by and Reduces Body Fat Mass in Healthy, Overweight Humans "

The Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 135, No. 4, April 2005, nutrition.org

" No More Yo-Yo Dieting " Cognis Nutrition & Health Press Release,

4/1/05, biz.

" Supplement Shows Promise for Body Fat Loss " Salynn Boyles, WebMD

Medical News, 4/1/05, my.webmd.com

" Clinical Tip 79: Preventing Cancer with Ground Beef and Butter?! "

Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Nutrition and Health Newsletter, November

2000, wrightnewsletter.com

" Advocate General Finds Food Supplements Directive Invalid Under EU

Law " Alliance for Natural Health, Press Release, 4/5/05

" EU Health Foods Crackdown 'Wrong' " BBC News, 4/5/05, news.bbc.co.uk

 

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