The research, published in the current issue of the International Journal of Obesity , supports the safety behind the Clarinol ingredient that has been questioned by some contradictory results.
CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) is a fatty acid naturally present in ruminant meat and dairy products.
Due to changes in the Western diet, average intake of CLA has fallen; if the fat is removed from a dairy product to make a low fat version that will be acceptable to consumers, CLA is removed along with it.
Lipid Nutrition's CLA ingredient is derived from safflowers.
It has two CLA isomers - known as trans-10 cis-12 and cis-9 trans-11, are respectively responsible for the effects.
The new study, performed by researchers from Scandinavian Clinical Research AS, Diabetes and Overweight Specialist Medical Center (Oslo), Hedmark Medical Center (Hamar), and Lipid Nutrition, was part of a larger randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 118 subjects.
The subjects were overweight and obese men and women (average age 47.3, BMI 28-32 kg per sq.m), and were assigned them to receive daily CLA supplements (3.4 grams per day) or placebo (olive oil) for six months.
A subset of 49 subjects agreed to participate in an euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp study - considered the gold standard for measuring insulin resistance.
Forty-one subjects completed this test.
Lead researcher Christian Syvertsen and co-workers report that there were no significant differences between glucose metabolism measurements or the ratio of glucose uptake and insulin concentration.
These results led the researchers to conclude: "CLA does not affect glucose metabolism or insulin sensitivity in a population of overweight or obese volunteers."
Commenting on the research, Lipid Nutrition's Dr. Louise Mennen told NutraIngredients.com: "This paper is important because it clearly showed no effect of Clarinol CLA on insulin resistance using the gold standard clamp method.
"This makes sure the ingredient was safe."
Dr. Mennen also told this website that the company was busy filing for GRAS status in the US, and that this process was nearing completion.
With 50 per cent of Europeans and 62 per cent of Americans classed as overweight, the food industry is waking up to the potential of products for weight loss and management, with the category estimated to already be worth $7bn.
One ingredient with a growing body of supporting evidence behind its apparent benefits is CLA, with several companies offering the ingredient for the weight management market.
Lipid Nutrition's interest in the weight management market is not limited to Clarinol.
Indeed, its Pinnothin ingredient containing the polyunsaturated fatty acid pinolenic acid derived from the seeds of the Korean pine nut tree (Pinus koraiensis) was recently crowned the most innovative ingredient at the First International Conference on Innovations and Trends in Weight Loss and Weight Management.
The pine nut extract is reported to function by boosting the expression of the appetite-suppressing hormones (glucagon-like peptide-1) GLP-1 and cholecystokinin (CCK).
The hormones are reported to work by delaying the emptying of the stomach (gastric emptying) and thereby promoting the feeling of fullness.
Source: International Journal of Obesity Volume 31, Pages 1148-1154; doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803482
"The effect of 6 months supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid on insulin resistance in overweight and obese" Authors: C. Syvertsen, J. Halse, H.O. Hoivik, J.-M. Gaullier, M. Nurminiemi, K. Kristiansen, A. Einerhand, M. O'Shea and O. Gudmundsen