Products were selected to represent those commonly sold and/or available nationally in the U.S. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, on-line retailers, and direct sales or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.
Testing Methods:
The CLA weight loss products were analyzed for their CLA isomer fatty acid components by Gas Chromatography (GC) utilizing a modified AOAC method (Association of Official Analytical Chemists, International; Official Method 991.39).
Disintegration of non-capsule, non-chewable and non-time release formulations was analyzed utilizing USP (United States Pharmacopeia) 2040 recommendations entitled "Disintegration and Dissolution of Nutritional Supplements."\
Analyses for lead were made using Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectroscopy (ICP/MS).
Products not having passing levels of key ingredients or contaminants were then re-tested in a second independent laboratory using similar methods and instrumentation. The identities of the products were not disclosed to the laboratories performing the testing.
Passing Score: *
To achieve a "Pass" in the testing, a product had to meet the following criteria:
- Contain a minimum of 100% of its labeled amount and a maximum of 135% of total CLA and specified CLA isomer ratios.
- Not exceed the State of California's Prop 65 limits for lead in supplements in a recommended daily serving: 0.5 mcg of lead per daily serving with an additional allowance of 1.0 mcg for supplements containing 1,000 mg/day or more of elemental calcium and 0.5 mcg for supplements containing specific other minerals. For supplements not marketed for use by children, ConsumerLab.com provides an additional allowance of 0.5 mcg if containing 250 to 499 mg/day of elemental calcium or 1.0 mcg if containing 500 to 999 mg/day of elemental calcium and an allowance of 0.5 mcg for if containing one whole herb (not extract) ingredient or 1.0 mcg for two or more whole herb ingredients. If a maximum recommended daily serving is not defined, a daily serving size will be determined and applied by CL.
- Meet recommended USP parameters for disintegration for nutritional supplements (excluding capsule, chewable and time-release products).
- Meet all FDA labeling requirements.
* Passing scores allow for specific margins of technical error associated with each analysis. ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.
