Side effects
Side effects that may occur while taking CLA include fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, headaches, dry skin, or dizziness. Increased fatigue may occur after taking CLA, which may affect physical performance. Depending on the dosage, gastrointestinal problems with diarrhoea, stomach cramps or stomach pain may also occur.
Failure to respond to diarrhoea and the resulting dehydration can lead to dizziness, headaches, dry skin and increased thirst. At the latest then you should drink a lot of fluids and stop CLA or take a break. High doses can also cause the athlete to develop insulin resistance, as the pancreas is affected by CLA.
If CLA is taken in high doses over a long period of time, it can lead to the development of diabetes. However, this side effect has not yet been sufficiently investigated by studies. Long-term studies on the side effects of CLA are also not yet known.
Before taking CLA, you should ask your doctor for advice, especially if you have a family history of heart disease or diabetes. Serious side effects that would have led to stopping taking CLA did not occur during the trials. This seems to result from the fact that the conjugated linoleic acids are essential as described above and are therefore generally taken in food anyway.
However, in rare cases, nausea may occur when taking CLA on a daily basis. Furthermore, the substances contained in the capsules in addition to CLA carry a certain risk of side effects. For example, it may happen that you have an allergic reaction to one of the additives.
This could happen, for example, with gluten or soya or chicken protein; these substances may be contained in the CLA capsules depending on the preparation. If you have a known allergy, it is advisable to read the ingredients of the preparations carefully and, if necessary, to avoid taking CLA or to choose another preparation. A healthy athlete who takes CLA according to the manufacturer’s instructions as a supplement to a balanced diet will not generally experience any serious health risks from CLA.
However, there are some studies that suggest that high doses of CLA may develop insulin resistance or affect insulin secretion. However, it is not yet clear how high the risk of developing diabetes is by taking CLA. The side effects that could occur when taking CLA should also not be underestimated. Tiredness, cramps, gastrointestinal complaints and dizziness can reduce physical performance in sports or even in everyday life. CLA should only be taken after careful consideration; it is by no means risk-free compared to natural sources of fat.
Muscle building
Athletes who orientate their training programme towards the targeted build-up of muscle mass must consider other things in addition to sports planning. For example, nutrition plays a central role. In addition to a sufficient supply of proteins, a sufficient amount of essential fatty acids is also very important.
Here again the CLA is to be mentioned as an important essential fatty acid. CLA has brought about positive changes in two ways. The two positive effects, i.e. the increased breakdown of body fat and the increased build-up of muscle mass, can of course only occur under certain conditions.
It goes without saying that in addition to the intake of CLA, a tight training plan must be followed. Furthermore, a diet that is adapted to this training plan and the desired muscle build-up must of course be followed. In addition to the positive effects of CLA already described, conjugated linoleic acid has another positive effect.
Various studies have shown that the intake of CLA additionally causes a normalisation of the insulin level in the blood. This has the effect of reducing the feeling of hunger and thus normalising eating behaviour. This effect also contributes to long-term training success.
- The first effect influences the fat metabolism. Studies on animals and also humans have shown that the intake of CLA causes a considerable reduction in fat. Tests carried out on athletes confirmed the results previously obtained in animal experiments on mice and rats.
It was shown that an average reduction in fat tissue of 20 percent was achieved by taking 3.4 grams daily for at least three months. This means that the test subjects lost a considerable amount of body fat and became healthier as a result. It was also shown in animal experiments that the proportion of muscle fat was also reduced when CLA was administered daily.
- The second effect, possibly even more important in the bodybuilding sector, relates to muscle building. Various studies have shown that the regular intake of CLA has a positive effect on muscle growth. The athletes who received the CLA preparation in the studies were able to build up muscles significantly faster than the group of athletes who received a placebo preparation that looked the same.
Experts explain this difference by the fact that the protein synthesis, i.e. the build-up of proteins, was significantly improved by taking CLA. This means that the organism is able to convert the amino acids ingested with food into the body’s own proteins much better. Researchers have determined that people on a low-fat diet consume an average of approximately 300 milligrams of CLA from food. However, CLA only has an effect on the breakdown of body fat and the build-up of muscle from a daily intake of 3000 milligrams. It is therefore recommended to supplement your diet with CLA.
