Weight Management Effects of a Mixture of Conjugated Linoleic Acid and L-Carnitine in Diet Induced Obese Rats

Aims: To examine simultaneous effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and L-carnitine (LC) on weight gain in diet induced obese rats.

Study Design: Experimental study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Para-Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (January 2014 to January 2015).

Methodology: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: Normal fat diet (n=8), and High fat diet (HFD) (n=32). After eight weeks, the second group maintained HFD and was subdivided into 4 categories: Corn Oil group, 500 mg CLA, 200 mg LC, and 500 mg CLA+ 200 mg LC (all doses per kg body weight), which were administered by oral gavage for four weeks. Body weights were measured and recorded weekly by means of a digital scale. SPSS Version 16 was used for statistical analysis.

Results: At the end of eighth week, a significant difference in weights was observed between HFD (295.43±5.36 gr) and NFD (246.38±6.48 gr) group. After four weeks, LC significantly reduced weight gain by 7.5% (P = .047). Trend of weight gain in CLA and LC + CLA groups were decelerated (24 and 25 gr respectively), but it was statistically insignificant (P = .08, .12 respectively).

Conclusion: Findings of this experimental study showed that a high fat diet led to obesity and combined LC and CLA could decelerate weight gain to some extent. However, it needs further work to validate reliability in human.