Does Conjugated Linoleic Acid Work?

Conjugated linoleic acid is a natural substance that is found in many of our foods that according to many studies can reduce fat and improve muscle mass in the body. Taken as a supplement with no change in eating or exercise habits, it would not make you lose weight but it is supposed to help you lose fat. It's often taken by men who are looking to lose weight and bodybuild at the same time.  It is also supposed to be useful for anyone who is overweight and under-exercising, as any increase in muscle mass will increase the metabolism, burning more calories. 

Like many natural weight loss products, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) combined with a flexible healthy eating plan is supposed to lead to gradual long term weight loss and help you get out of a yo-yo dieting cycle where you are constantly losing and gaining the same 10, 15, 20 or 50 pounds. Yoyo dieting is bad for the health. It may or may not be better to remain overweight than to keep on losing and gaining, losing and gaining.

Most experts (unless they are trying to sell you something) agree that the diet that works best in the long term is the non-diet, where instead of eating special foods and banning others, you eat slightly smaller quantities of a normal healthy diet. If you're currently living almost entirely on pizza, French fries and chocolate, then okay, some changes may be long overdue. But you can still have small portions of all of those foods from time to time. If this is the kind of diet that you want, then CLA may help reinforce your plan by boosting your fat loss but I don't know. Dr. Michael Pariza of University of Wisconsin-Madison, reported to the American Chemical Society that CLA "doesn't make a big fat cell get little. What it rather does is keep a little fat cell from getting big."

Many studies have been done on CLA. One study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that people taking CLA lost on average about six pounds of body fat more than the group that took a placebo. The researchers discovered that you need around 3.4 grams of CLA per day for it to be effective. CLA is found in food, especially meat and dairy products, but supplementation wold be necessary for most people to reach that level.

Another study at Purdue University, Indiana, found that CLA improved insulin levels in about two-thirds of diabetics, and slightly decreased their blood glucose level and triglyceride levels, suggesting that it may help to maintain normal insulin levels. But see your doctor before taking any supplements if you have diabetes or any chronic illness or disease.

There are no magic pills for weight loss but to reduce your body fat permanently, CLA may or may not help you. Keep in mind that its main effect is to convert fat to muscle, which by itself will not make you weigh any less. But your body may look slimmer and feel healthier if you do this, and combined with a good weight control eating plan conjugated linoleic acid may or may not help you move toward your ideal weight too. A living food diet is always best however.