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by: goodevening7
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Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 Time: 1:10 AM
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CLA stands for "conjugated linoleic acid". It is a fatty acid known for promoting good health. This was first identified by Dr. Michael Pariza in 1978 while he was studying beef extract as a cancer prevention. What he found instead provoked a surge of research and scientific studies into the benefits of CLA as a fat reducer. After looking at decades of research scientists have found that CLA may in fact help the body to deposit less fat, build more muscle and may even help prevent fat cells from refilling.CLA supplements are said to help in loosing weight and building lean muscle tissue. Studies have shown over the recent past that CLA supplements work really well when taken in the prescribed quantities only. Also, the customer reviews CLA supplements have been getting are very positive. People seem to be really benefiting from this great supplement.
Technically, CLA is an isomer of LA or Linoleic Acid and it is found mainly in the meat products and dairy products. Although, many people tend to be wary about any kind of supplement that promises to reduce body weight, this is a healthy alternative and does not have any harmful side effects. However, people should look at two things before starting to add CLA supplements.

CLA supplements help people to lose weight because it is a good fat. CLA accelerates your metabolism while slowing dietary fats from being converted to body fat. Basically, when your body gets enough good fats, it doesn't hoard fats. By consuming only high-quality fats and avoiding low-quality fats, you can increase the benefits of CLA. Bad fats include hydrogenated oils, soybean, and low-cost vegetable oils. Healthy oils include olive oil, peanut oil, and flax seed oil. Sticking to healthy oils and avoiding bad fats, combined with supplements, can help you achieve healthy triglyceride levels.During November and December, the group taking the CLA supplements lost weight while the non-CLA group gained 1.5 pounds of fat mass. And even though both groups claimed to exercise less over the Christmas holidays, the CLA supplement group still managed to reduce body fat mass!

In another study the results weren't so startling. In this second study, conducted at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and reported to the American Chemical Society, found that Conjugated Linoleic Acid doesn't make a big fat cells get little however it does prevent a little fat cells from getting big. In this study, the researchers did not find statistically significant weight loss in a group of 71 overweight people. However, they did find that when the dieters stopped dieting those taking Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA were more likely to gain muscle and not fat.Furthermore, misleading marketing and labeling of CLA refers to it as a "natural" product of Safflower oil; however, the CLA supplements in stores a chemically manipulated product of safflower oil. The major known truly natural source of CLA comes from the body fat or milk-fat of ruminant animals. For most people, cow milk or beef fat is the primary source; however, goats, sheep and deer are also ruminants and their products contain CLA. The CLA is actually made in these animals by the bacteria in their stomachs and then it is absorbed and added to their own body fat.

Throughout the study, there were no differences between the control group and the CLA supplement group with respect to the amount of physical activity undertaken nor the amount of calories consumed. The researchers also found that the experimental group that took the CLA supplement lost weight prior to the Christmas holidays and did not gain any weight over the holiday period. They also found that the control group (taking the placebo) had Christmas holiday weight gain that was significantly more than that gained in the pre-holiday period.

Read about home remedies and also read about cla supplements and taurine effects