Evening Primrose Oil :

GLA & CLA - A Winning Combination

Essential fatty acids are good fats that occur naturally in food. They are just as important as the vitamins and minerals a body needs to function properly. Two of the hottest EFAs for weight loss and weight control are gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The problem is most Americans don’t consume enough of these EFAs to reap their benefits. Supplementation can change all that, and put Americans back in shape.

Along with a balanced diet and daily exercise, a GLA/CLA combination product may soon be a key component in any successful weight control program. Americans can not only lose weight, but attack that age-old problem of keeping it off. Good fats are not just weight loss agents; they are keys to weight control. These two EFAs provide Americans with a simple, natural, and effortless solution to achieve their personal weight goals.

How to Conquer GLA Deficiency

In a healthy body, GLA can be synthesized from linoleic acid, which is found in certain oils, grains, and seeds. But due to a number of common dietary and lifestyle factors in today’s society, most of our bodies don’t make that conversion. The main metabolic roadblocks are trans fats (man-made fats), sugar, smoking, alcohol, aging, and illnesses such as diabetes. All of these factors affect the body’s ability to convert linoleic acid into GLA and efficiently burn fat.

But Americans are not easily convinced to quit smoking, or change their eating habits. For the most part they can’t control their illnesses, and certainly have no say in the fact that they are getting older. What they want is a simple solution to their weight problems. Luckily, GLA is found naturally in seed oils like borage oil (20-24% GLA), evening primrose oil (8-10% GLA), and black currant seed oil (about 15% GLA). Supplementing with these oils provides GLA in a usable form, so the body can bypass the conversion process and get down to the business of burning excess fat.

The Science Behind GLA and Weight Loss

GLA is not just another fad. In the 1980s many studies focusing on GLA as a natural aid to weight reduction were published in prestigious medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine.3 These reports documented GLA’s definite promise in the battle of the bulge. Scientists like Dr. David Horrobin, a former professor of medicine at the University of Montreal, and Dr. M.A. Mir, a researcher and consultant at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff, identified two calorie-burning mechanisms that GLA helps to regulate.3, 4 Simply put, GLA does two things to boost your metabolism. First it activates an under-active fat in overweight people known as brown adipose tissue (BAT) to burn calories. Second, GLA activates the ATPase metabolic process, commonly referred to as the “sodium pump”. In fact, GLA can stimulate the sodium pump to use up nearly 50% of the body’s total calories.

Recent published studies on animals confirm GLA’s promise in the weight loss arena. These studies show obesity is linked to low GLA levels, and supplementation can correct or normalize these levels.5 Furthermore, supplementation in obese animals reduces food intake and weight gain.5 A Japanese researcher published a study in the Journal of Nutrition confirming that dietary GLA can reduce body fat both by increasing the metabolism of BAT, and by affecting the enzymes involved in the metabolism of fat, as well as glucose.6 Perhaps most interesting of all is the hypothesis that GLA, like other fatty acids, has the potential to elevate levels of serotonin, a brain chemical which contributes to the feeling of fullness.7, 8 By elevating serotonin, you will feel satiated sooner, eat less, and not be tempted to overindulge. So not only does GLA have the ability to increase the body’s metabolism and burn fat, but it may work as an appetite suppressant as well.

But science is not going to convince everyone. People need to see results. In a study involving GLA, Dr. Mir reported his subjects lost from 9.6 to 11.4 pounds over a six-week period.3 Dr. Horrobin described GLA as “a safe, non-drug way to stimulate the body’s metabolic activity and burn off fat.” Horrobin believes nearly one-third of all overweight people are metabolically impaired, interfering with the burning of excess calories. That’s over 38 million people in the United States alone!

The CLA Breakthrough

The latest good fat to be discovered, CLA has profound fat loss and healing benefits. CLA helps reduce body fat while retaining lean muscle mass. It is also considered a necessary fatty acid both for cell growth and as a building block of cell membranes. CLA occurs naturally in dairy foods, grass-fed beef and lamb, and other grass-fed animals. Before the 1970s, Americans got plenty of CLA by eating such foods. But today we are getting virtually no CLA in our foods because livestock is no longer grass fed, which decreases CLA levels by about 80%. To compound this deficiency, over the past 20 years many misguided Americans on low-fat diets avoided the only dietary sources of CLA available; meat, and dairy products like whole milk, butter and cheese. Luckily, science has found a way to create CLA from the linoleic acid found in sunflower and safflower oils. Today CLA is available as a convenient dietary supplement.

To date, there are over 500 published studies on this previously unrecognized nutrient. The first human clinical trial using CLA was conducted in 1997 in Norway. This study was later published in the Journal of Nutrition.10 A 90-day double-blind clinical study showed a stunning 20% decrease in body fat, with an average loss of 7 pounds of fat in the group taking CLA. These results were achieved without a single change in dietary habits, establishing CLA supplementation for the first time as a simple, effortless weight loss tool.

In addition to its ability to reduce body fat, CLA has also been shown to increase lean muscle mass. In this same study, although the participants lost body fat, they experienced very little change in overall body weight due to the increase in lean muscle mass. The end result was a stronger, healthier body.

CLA is a powerful tool for the dieters of America who find themselves sliding up and down the scale with each new diet attempt. In August of 2000, Pariza presented the long-awaited results of a clinical trial designed to assess the effects of CLA on the body composition of obese men and women.11 In the trial, 80 overweight people dieted for several months, then went back to their regular eating habits. Like most of us, once they returned to their old habits they regained some of the weight. Interestingly, the group taking CLA put the pounds back on in a ratio of half fat to half lean muscle. This is rather impressive when you consider the control group regained the weight at a ratio of 75% fat to 25% lean muscle. With CLA supplementation, the regained weight is more muscle and less fat.

CLA, Beyond Weight Loss

The benefits of CLA do not stop at weight loss. Laboratory research over the past two decades has shown that CLA also modulates the immune response, protects against heart disease, and inhibits the growth of various cancers.12-16 In several studies, CLA has demonstrated an outstanding ability to prevent and control adult onset (type 2) diabetes, now considered to be an American epidemic. Researchers from Purdue University in Indiana reported a dramatic improvement in serum insulin response in patients taking 6g of CLA daily.17 Over 80% of patients experienced an improvement in the levels of leptin, a hormone that regulates both insulin and obesity. CLA may also be a potent agent for preventing osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, since it helps prevent bone loss.

Clearly, research shows both GLA and CLA can pare off the pounds, while working to build a healthier body. The fat loss benefits of these potent healing giants are just beginning to make headlines!

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