Verified answer

Simply stated, Yes it is a scam. I have a full 1-page advertisement about the product in front me from the newspaper. The article touts conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as being nothing short of a miracle fat reducer.

The article also makes mention of a "Scientific Double Blind Clinical Study of Dr. Frank Ryan's Abdominal Fat Reducer" on a website, www.clinicalstudiespublishing.com. As a pharmacist, I constantly review journal articles to determine the clinical and physiological significance of different compounds and drugs. Several different studies are listed on the site, and I am not sure if this is done to help market other products or to confuse the average person into not knowing which study or studies are relevant.

Looking at the site cited, the relevant article is entitled "Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduced abdominal adipose fate in obese middle-aged men with signs of the metabolic syndrome: a randomised controlled trial" from the International Journal of Obesity (PDF of the article in the sources).

Besides only listing 1 study in support of your product, there are a number of problems I can see. First off, the study is extremely small with only 24 participants (n=14 in the CLA group and n=10 in the placebo group). As far as weight loss is concerned, it just didn't happen. In the CLA group, the average weight was 106.9 kg (235.18 lbs) at baseline and then 4 weeks later the subjects weighed 106.6 kg (234.52 lbs). In the placebo group, the values were 103.0 kg (226.6 lbs) and 102.6 kg (225.72 lbs), respectively. Statistically, there was no change among the groups. Finally, the sagittal abdominal diameter, a measure of abdominal obesity, found a statistical difference among the 2 groups in favor of the group on CLA. However, more studies with larger groups are needed to determine if there is something going on here. According to the abstract but not listed anywhere in the study itself, as far as I can see, the dose used was 4.2 grams of CLA per day in the CLA group and 0 grams per day in the placebo group. Also note, CLA is naturally occurring fatty acid (fat) so you do get it from your diet. Men in the study (no women were participants), were asked to recall what they ate during the 4 weeks to approximate the amount of CLA they were eating. Recall bias, a statistical bias, could figure in here as investigators have to rely on the subjects memory and what they consider a portion size.

Looking at the Dr. Frank Ryan's Abdominal Fat Reducer one serving is 2 soft gels. In these two softgels there is a 1335 mg (1.335 grams) Proprietary Blend containing CLA, green tea extract, L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-valine, and phosphatidylserine. I mention proprietary blend because this is a convenient way for a supplement company to not list the actual amounts of ingredients present, and preserve their "trade secret." Usually, a proprietary blend is used to hide the fact that small amounts of the active ingredients are actually present. Even if CLA was 99% of the blend (~1321 mg or 1.321 grams), you would only get 2.642 grams of CLA per day or about 62% of the dose used in the above study. That fact alone makes the above study cited by them completely useless. Furthermore, because a proprietary blend is given on the label you have no idea of how much CLA is actually in a given dose making it impossible to gauge how many pills you need to get 4.2 grams of CLA per day.

In conclusion, CLA may, and I stress may, have a beneficial effect on body composition (reducing fat, increasing lean mass) but has no effect on actual weight loss, however we have no idea how much CLA is actually present in a dose. As a pharmacist, I see no clinically significant evidence to recommend this product to my patients. Save your money and look to the only proven method of weight loss: diet and exercise. Sorry, no miracle pill here, but it miraculously lighten and decrease the size of your wallet!

1

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

Is Dr. Frank Ryan's Abdominal Fat reducer a scam?

Is Dr. Frank Ryan's Abdominal Fat reducer a scam? I saw the ad today and I was wondering if somebody could please tell me if it's a scam or if it really works. Also, what are good ways to increase metabolism? Thank you

Dr Frank Ryan

make your own conclusions:

"The Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory (NIMML) made a seminal discovery demonstrating that oral CLA treatment prevents or ameliorates inflammatory bowel disease by activating the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma).

CLA is also known for its body weight management properties, which include reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass. Over 30 clinical studies have been published investigating the effect of CLA on weight management. The trials have quite variable designs, which leads to inconsistency. However a meta-analysis conducted in 2007 concluded CLA has a small impact on fat mass. [6]"

check wikipedia regarding this subject

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_linoleic_a...

cheers

I was shy, I didn't want to be the centre of attention, I didn't like getting my picture taken. Yes, I had to speak in public, and that was because it was for my job. So I would get up there and I would speak, .but I really didn't want anyone to really be looking at me.

Since I've lost my weight, it's more like look at me, look what I've done. And I feel good about myself. I bought a new wardrobe. I get up there, I speak in front of people, and it's fantastic. It's the best thing I've ever done in my life.

Bake a healthy breakfast ahead of time to ensure you don't grab a sugary scone busy.

Chickpeas can help dieters break bad snaking habits

Don't keep junk food within your kitchen. If it's not at this time there, you can't be tempted by it.

Eliminate the maximum amount of junk as you possibly can.