On Tue, 8 Feb 2000, Dr. James Alpigini wrote: > The calorie "formula" makes sense if it were maintenance, but I have been > actually gaining bodyfat. Previously, I would loose, albeit slowly, below > 2000. Now to get the weight to drop requires me to be in the 1600 to 1800 > range. My protein/fat ratio is the same as before and I've used the > ketosticks to ensure that I was in ketosis. There seem to be two real > changes. First, I've replaced the cheese, butter and cream with olive oil, > more oily fish like salmon, etc. Second, my metabolism seems to have > slowed down a good 400 calories per day. On the face of it, it sounds like you have lost muscle. But if your strength has not declined this is unlikely. I'd recommend an experiment: Go back to using the cheese, butter and cream and see if you return to your former metabolic rate. Here's another long-shot guess. Dairy fats are a source of conjugated linoleic acid. Olive oil and fish oil are not. CLA itself tends to cause body fat loss, and milk fat is the main source. Beef fat would also be a source, but not, according to what I have read, grain-fed beef. Just a guess. Todd Moody ------------------------------------------------------ Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 2000 Jan;223(1):8-13 Mechanisms of action of conjugated linoleic acid: evidence and speculation. Pariza MW, Park Y, Cook ME Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to inhibit carcinogenesis and atherosclerosis, enhance immunologic function while protecting against the catabolic effects of immune stimulation, affect body composition change (reducing body fat gain while enhancing lean body mass gain), and stimulate the growth of young rats. We discuss possible biochemical mechanisms that underlie these physiological effects. We emphasize the importance of considering the effects, both individually and combined, of the two CLA isomers (cis-9, trans-11 CLA and trans-10, cis-12 CLA) that have been shown to exhibit biological activity and which appear to exert their effects via different biochemical mechanisms. UI: 20098757 ---------- Toxicol Sci 1999 Dec;52(2 Suppl):107-10 Conjugated linoleic acid and the control of cancer and obesity. Pariza MW, Park Y, Cook ME Food Research Institute, Department of Food Microbiology and Toxicology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706-1187, USA. [log in to unmask] The effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in animals are reviewed. In most of the CLA preparations that have been investigated to date for biological activity, two CLA isomers are present in about equal concentrations: cis-9,trans-11 CLA, and trans-10,cis-12 CLA. The occurrence of these isomers in foods and their production by rumen microorganisms are discussed. Potential mechanisms of action as regards the effects of CLA on cancer and body composition are reviewed, including recent evidence that body composition changes are produced by the trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer. Evidence is presented indicating that CLA may modulate cellular response to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The mechanistic implications of this finding are considered. UI: 20094294 ----------