Led by Chih-Kun Huang, MD from the I-Shou University, the study took 63 obese subjects and randomly assigned them to receive daily supplements of CLA (3.4g) or a placebo (salad oil) in a milk product for 12 weeks.
Results showed that after 12 weeks of supplementation participants in the CLA group displayed average decreases in bodyweight of 0.7kg, BMI of 0.31 kg/m2, body fat mass of 0.58kg and fat percentage of 0.6%.
Chih-Kun Huang said: “to our knowledge this is the first randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effect of CLA on body fat composition in a Chinese population and the results seem promising.
“The consumption of milk supplemented with CLA (3.4g per day) significantly decreased the body weight, BMI, body fat mass, fat percentage, subcutaneous fat mass and the waist-to-hip ratio in subjects over just 12 weeks.’
Whilst the mechanism by which CLA helps the body lose fat still isn’t exactly known by scientists, it’s theorised it does this in two ways; firstly in a study conducted in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of País Vasco it was discovered CLA interferes with a substance in your body called lipoprotein lipase, which is partly responsible for helping store fat in your body. Secondly the same study also concluded that CLA helps your body use its existing fat for energy.
Therefore studies show CLA not only inhibits the storing of fat it also enhances the burning of fat.
Source: Myprotein
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