Does CLA Supplement Improve Fat Metabolism
& Reduce Weight?
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
Weight Loss Supplements
CLA looks like an effective supplement
for weight loss and the conversion of fat to lean muscle mass. In 2000,
the American Chemical Society stated that CLA can assist weight loss and
improve muscle/fat ratio.
How CLA Weight Loss Supplements Work
CLA reduces body fat is by enhancing insulin
sensitivity so that fatty acids and glucose can pass through muscle cell
membranes and away from fat tissue. This results in an improved muscle
to fat ratio.
CLA Weight Loss Supplements - Body Fat
Reduction
CLA has been shown to reduce body fat in
people who are overweight.
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
study, published in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition
found that CLA reduces fat and preserves muscle tissue. According to the
research project manager, an average reduction of six pounds of body fat
was found in the group that took CLA, compared to a placebo group.
The study found that approximately 3.4
grams of CLA per day is the level needed to obtain the beneficial effects
of CLA on body fat.
Dr. Michael Pariza, who conducted research
on CLA with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reported in August 2000
to the American Chemical Society that "It doesn't make a big fat
cell get little. What it rather does is keep a little fat cell from getting
big."
Pariza's research did not find weight loss
in his group of 71 overweight people, but what he did find was that when
the dieters stopped dieting, and gained back weight, those taking CLA
"were more likely to gain muscle and not fat.''
In a separate study conducted at Purdue
University in Indiana, CLA was found to improve insulin levels in about
two-thirds of diabetic patients, and moderately reduced the blood glucose
level and triglyceride levels.
CLA Weight Loss Supplements - No Magic
Bullet
If you're interested in taking CLA to help
with weight loss, keep in mind that it's not a magic bullet, and you will
need to start a program of diet and exercise in order to successfully
lose weight and keep it off.
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