Linoleic Acid Supplementation Could Help Type 2 Diabetics
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has been known to act as a PPAR-gamma ligand for many years know, just like the new drugs used to treat diabetes, but without all the side effects (remember…troglitazone was pulled off the market because of potential for liver failure). Costs of CLA are also much, much less than its pharmaceutical mimics.
Type 2 diabetics who consumed 6 g of the dietary supplement per day for 8 weeks had a lower body mass index, lower triglyceride levels and improved serum insulin levels at the end of the study period than controls, according to preliminary research findings presented here this week at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. In a meeting abstract, she and her group note that conjugated linoleic acid binds to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, the same targets that allow thiazolidinediones to reduce insulin resistance and enhance insulin action in humans. It has been shown to lower postprandial glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels in laboratory animals.