Frequently, clients ask me what they can do to reduce reduce stubborn fat around their mid-section other than quit sugar and refined carbs and regularly exercise.
My friend Jonny Bowden — one of the most knowledgeable nutritionists in America today — just wrote a fascinating post on his blog that touts the virtues of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), noting its effectiveness in losing body fat, especially around the tummy.
While “losing pounds is CLA’s most notable claim to fame,” Jonny points out, its benefits also have been known to also include “slowing the spread of cancer cells, help stop bone loss in postmenopausal women and interestingly, calming of inflammation linked to asthma and a host of other things.”
Jonny writes about CLA, because a study in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that CLA is effective at reducing body mass index (BMI) and total fat tissue without altering lean body mass among obese, postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.
The information about CLA is quite intriguing. “In 2005, nearly 300 studies were published on CLA, including studies in which CLA slowed the spread of cancer cells, helped stop
bone loss in postmenopausal women, calmed the inflammation of asthma,
was linked to lower rates of colon cancer, and boosted immune function,” according to Harry Preuss, M.D. of Georgetown University Medical Center professor, co-author of The Natural Fat Loss Pharmacy and president of the Executive Committee of the American College of Nutrition.
In addition to helping to reduce body fat in people who are overweight, CLA “may be one of the most potent cancer-fighting substances in our diet,” also observes Dr. Joe Mercola, who runs the popular Mercola.com website.
According to About.com’s Mary Shomon, CLA may:
- Increase metabolic rate
- Decrease abdominal fat
- Enhance muscle growth
- Lower cholesterol and triglycerides
- Lower insulin resistance
- Reduce food-induced allergic reactions
- Enhance the immune system
FYI, as Jonny Bowden points out, “Many studies have used 3 grams or so of CLA, but the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study used 8 grams. Always check the percentage of CLA in the capsule- if the capsule is 1000mg of 80% CLA (a high percentage) you’ll need 4 capsules to equal 3,200mg.”
Readers, please note that you’re not getting any advice here.
Read more about CLA on Jonny’s blog. Tell him Connie sent you.