A new study suggests that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an oil made of natural fatty acids that is sometimes used as a weight-loss supplement may need to be paired with hormones or other substances to prevent health problems that can follow rapid weight loss, a new study suggests.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a dietary compound naturally found in some meat and dairy products, CLA can reduce body fat in some studies in humans and is often used as a supplement during weight loss programs.

The Study 

A recent study in mice found that without leptin, fat loss occurs in mice eating a diet containing CLA, but the mice also become insulin resistant. When mice are fed CLA and given leptin, the same fat loss occurs but insulin resistance does not develop. Therefore the study indicates that although leptin is not essential to the fat loss, it has important protective effects to maintain insulin sensitivity, according to Martha Belury, the lead author of the study and associate professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University.

Continuing research shows that there are consequences associated with the loss of fat. Because fat in the body is energy, it has to go somewhere if it is not burned away by metabolism. When CLA is driving fat out of fat tissue, the fat tends to end up in the liver or in muscles. If that fat can’t be used, insulin resistance results.

According to Belury, “You can reduce body fat, which is a good thing for a person trying to avoid diabetes. But if that body fat is lost too rapidly, the fat has to go somewhere else and in mice, it creates insulin resistance,”  Sometimes, insulin resistance can lead to Type 2 diabetes.