# Anyone ever take CLA & had results?



## Johnnny (Apr 16, 2004)

I was wonering if anyone has ever taken Conjugated Linoleic Acid 
(CLA) & had results from it? The best brand I heard was by Tonalin. Also I'm wondering if it has effects on anyone with thyroid dysfunction & synthroid medication. It apparently helps the body use fat for energy & also helps increase lean muslce mass. It is also listed as an anti-oxidant.


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## topolo (Apr 16, 2004)

i took it................did nothing


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## Johnnny (Apr 16, 2004)

Really? How long did you take it for? Results apparently only start happening after 4-5 weeks.


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## LAM (Apr 17, 2004)

I constantly take CLA @ 6 grams/ED.  I'm not very active and my diet is fairly clean and the combo of that, my green tea and some HIIT cardio keeps me close to 11% bf all year round...


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## topolo (Apr 17, 2004)

i took it for 8 weeks


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## aggies1ut (Apr 17, 2004)

I took CLA for 4 months and it did nothing for me. I just stick to fish oil caps now.


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## supertech (Apr 17, 2004)

Doesn't CLA just keep your fat cells from getting bigger or something like that.   
It doesn't help you loose weight right?


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## Johnnny (Apr 17, 2004)

I heard it was supposed to promote fat loss by helping the body use fat for energy & it's also supposed to support lean muscle mass.

Does anyone take Omega-3 caps? I'm currently taking Omega-6, but heard Omega-3 is much better for you. I'm only finding blends of all 3 Omega-3-6-9. I'm looking for just Omega 3 but can't find it.


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## rrgg (Apr 18, 2004)

Take this for what it's worth...

Men's Health just reported some study that looked at various weight loss supplements.  Only pyruvate and CLA worked.  Dosages they used: 

CLA 3g/day x 12 weeks
pyruvate 6g/day x weeks

Also, I understand that pyruvate is really for people on a low carb diet (atkins) because it counteracts some effect that low carb has on your metabolism.


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## Johnnny (Apr 18, 2004)

Thanks.


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## LAM (Apr 18, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by supertech *_
> Doesn't CLA just keep your fat cells from getting bigger or something like that.
> It doesn't help you loose weight right?



CLA inhibits the action of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) which controls the flow of lipids across/into the cell membrane of adipocytes (fat cells)...

if your diet isn't "on" don't expect much from CLA.  it's only a fatty acid not a mirracle pill...


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## TrojanMan60563 (Apr 18, 2004)

I just take barlenes flax oil..that has all the omegas and what not


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## Tha Don (Apr 19, 2004)

As far as I know CLA helps shuttle food away from fat cells and towards muscles cells, thus increasing the ability to lose fat and preserve lean mass

peace


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

That's all I know about as well. It helps the body use the fat for energy while promoting lean mass. But it takes at least 4 weeks to work. I just not sure if it would intertfear with my thyroid. The pharmacist said no but my family doctor doesn't believe in these things or any supplements just calcium, vitamin c & a multi vitamin.
He doesn't even believe in Whey protein & has found studies proving creatine is bad for your kidneys in the long run believe it or not. 

I went through a supplement phase about 6yrs ago. I must have wasted over $1k on crap that didn't even do what it was supposed to do & I learned from that. I tried almost everything from the Andro/Nor-Andro stacks to Vanadyl Sulfate. They were all garbage. The only thing that helped me was a good whey protein & a good glutamine. The creatine made me look like sh!t with all the water retention & my doc told me it was bad for your kidneys. So all I buy now are Whey protein, flax seed oil, & omega 3 as well as my glucosamine, calcium, vitamin c & multi-vitamin. I'm still looking into CLA.


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## rrgg (Apr 19, 2004)

Johnny--- just a note about your doctor finding studies proving creatine is bad for your kidneys...

There's a difference between "proof" and "evidence."  People commonly misuse those 2 words.


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

If you look hard enough you'll find the info. My fathers a biochemist & hear's about things like this everyday. Plus I find creatine makes you look like sh!t & the strength gains almost completely disappear when you stop taking it. But I'm not your father & can't convince everybody. It's your body do what you will with it & believe what you will. It's your perogative. But I'm through with Creatine & many other supplements that either don't work or could potentially hurt your body such as Creatine & fatburners as well as Ephedrine & the ECA stack which can have permanent damage on your thyroid & cause heart attacks. So it's your body & do what you will with it I can't stop you.


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## rrgg (Apr 19, 2004)

I wasn't arguing that creatine is safe.  I was pointing out that evidence and proof are not the same thing.  So far the studies I've run across show evidence.

It's also a little odd that you were taking andro if you think creatine is dangerous.


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

First I was taking andro before I find out creatine is bad for your kidneys. & I stopped taking andro as it wasn't doing anything. Like I said I'm not your father or mother & it's your body. If you want to take creatine & risk having possible kidney problems when you're older that's your choice. I can't stop you, it's your body do what you will with it. All I can do is offer my knowledge. If you're convinced that creatine is safe & you want to take then go ahead. No offense to any steroid users here but I know some steroid users who believe they have no side effects just because they want to take them. While I have a few buddies who are experiencing minor problems. One is quitting juice in 4 more weeks because of an increase in blood pressure. So do what you will.


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## instant (Apr 19, 2004)

anything in quanity is bad for your kidneys.  but when you think of all the toxins we put into our bodies creatine doesn't really seem all that bad.


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

Well I try not to put anything foreign into my body. I drink only a few times a month on occasion & don't drink myself to the point of puking, I don't smoke or do drugs of any kind except for my thyroid drugs. So I wouldn't even put creatine in my system, not anymore.


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## Arnold (Apr 19, 2004)

you do realize that your body produces creatine and meat products contain creatine?


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

Yes but nothing compared to the ammount of creatine that you must take while taking a creatine supplement which is what puts your kidneys at risk.


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## Dale Mabry (Apr 19, 2004)

Johnny-

There are very few things that are proven.  If your doctor used that exact terminology, he knows little about research and you should find a new doctor.  I know of no credible doctor that would use the word proven about anything.

I would not think CLA would do anything to F-up your thyroid, but I don't really think it would help it either.


RRGG- I don't know what studies you are looking at, but I have never seen evidence that was significant for creatine causing kidney issues, most of it is just conjecture,


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## Dale Mabry (Apr 19, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Johnnny *_
> Yes but nothing compared to the ammount of creatine that you must take while taking a creatine supplement which is what puts your kidneys at risk.




The same could be said, and has been said, about high protein diets.  Again, this is just conjecture as their is no evidence to support this claim.


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## Arnold (Apr 19, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Dale Mabry *_
> The same could be said, and has been said, about high protein diets.  Again, this is just conjecture as their is no evidence to support this claim.



exactly.


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

Dale Mabry I'm seeing an endocrinologist a thyroid specialist who's been in the game for over 30yrs so I'm not worried about his medical knowledge. I was only wondering about CLA & thyroid interaction as CLA has some direct interaction with your metabolism. Your metabolism is also directly linked to your thyroid gland so it would only be normal that I would be concered about something interacting with my thyroid especially since I'm taking thyroid drugs.

As for creatine effecting your kidneys negatively, my family doctor let me read some medical reports from medical journals with case studies. I don't remember the name of the journal.

So again do what you will with your body, & believe what you want. I can't stop you.


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## rrgg (Apr 19, 2004)

Johnny --- 

Did I say I'm taking creatine?  No
Did I say creatine is safe?  No

I only pointed out your conflation of the meaning of the words "proof" and "evidence."  It was a minor point, and I didn't mean to escalate this into a debate about supplement safety.  

Dale-- You asked what studies I'd seen indicating creatine and kidneys.  I really was just giving Johnny the benefit of the doubt, because it was beside my point.


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## Dale Mabry (Apr 19, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Johnnny *_
> Dale Mabry I'm seeing an endocrinologist a thyroid specialist who's been in the game for over 30yrs so I'm not worried about his medical knowledge.




I was referring to the guy who told you that there is a proven link between creatine and kidney damage.  Case Studies are garbage, they are generally just a one person account of a phenomena and you should not judge a phenomena based on 1 or 2 case studies.  If there was a direct link between the 2, there would be a placebo controlled study with a BARE MINIMUM of 40 subjects that shows that people who took creatine had kidney problems and the placebo did not.

Just FYI-Being a medical doctor does not necessarily make someone qualified to talk about research.


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

rrgg I wasn't reffering to you. As for case studies they aren't garbage. They are done for a reason to help prove things.


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## Dale Mabry (Apr 19, 2004)

No, they are done to see if further research is necessary.  Obvioucly since there is no move to conduct this research these case studies have been highly ignored.


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

Whatever. If you want to believe everything is safe than that's your perogative.


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## rrgg (Apr 19, 2004)

Johnny - No one is saying that everything is safe.

Case studies provide suggestive evidence.  Proof is a larger collection of evidence that shows a hypothesis to be true.   Someone said case studies are "garbage" because it's not uncommon to see a case study disproven at a later time.  It's the same reason we read about some food causing cancer, then the next year it doesn't, then orange juice cures it, then carbs are bad, now they're good and so on.  I'm sure you've seen case studies before that are later disproven. 


Can we get back on topic here?  Has anyone else had first hand experience with CLA and at what dosage?


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## LAM (Apr 19, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by Johnnny *_
> Dale Mabry I'm seeing an endocrinologist a thyroid specialist who's been in the game for over 30yrs so I'm not worried about his medical knowledge. I was only wondering about CLA & thyroid interaction as CLA has some direct interaction with your metabolism. Your metabolism is also directly linked to your thyroid gland so it would only be normal that I would be concered about something interacting with my thyroid especially since I'm taking thyroid drugs.
> 
> As for creatine effecting your kidneys negatively, my family doctor let me read some medical reports from medical journals with case studies. I don't remember the name of the journal.
> ...



CLA has no direct interaction on your metabolism.  where did you hear that from ?


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## Johnnny (Apr 19, 2004)

LAM I did a search for CLA & looked through several different sites & they all relatively said the same thing but one site said it interacts with your metabolism.


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