Integrative Medicine

A preliminary study published in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that obese men who consume conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplements for 4 weeks may lose a significant amount of fat around their waists. Twenty-four obese men between the ages of 39 and 64 received either 4.2 g/day of CLA supplements or placebo for 4 weeks. At the conclusion of the study, there was a significant reduction in the abdominal diameter of participants in the CLA group compared to those in the placebo group. While the researchers acknowledge that the results of their study are encouraging, they conclude that "further trials with a larger number of subjects and performed during longer time periods are needed to determine if CLA may be a safe and effective antiobesity agent in subjects with abdominal obesity."

References

Riserus U, Berglund L, Vessby B. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduced abdominal adipose tissue in obese middle-aged men with signs of the metabolic syndrome: a randomised controlled trial. Int J Obes. 2001;25(8):1129-1135.