NEW YORK -- A team of Scandinavian researchers has identified a pill that appears to melt away fat while boosting muscle mass. While the supplement--conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) -- is no magic bullet, it may prove to be a useful tool in combination with even light exercise, Dr. Jan Wadstein, an associate professor of medicine at Lund University in Sweden and a study author, told Reuters Health in an interview.
The investigators found that consuming 3.4 grams of CLA daily helped overweight and obese individuals mobilize fat from cells while revving up muscle metabolism. There was no net weight loss, however.

"The present data indicate that consumption of CLA reduces (body fat mass in overweight and moderately obese healthy volunteers," according to Dr.Henrietta Blankson from Scandinavian Clinical Research in Norway, and
colleagues.

If further research confirms the effects of CLA seen in the present study, the supplement could prove useful to the millions of people -- nearly two thirds of Americans -- who are overweight and obese. Excess weight has been shown to raise a person's risk of developing heart disease, certain forms of cancer, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

The study, published in the December issue of The Journal of Nutrition, compared varying daily doses of CLA with an inactive placebo that contained 9 grams of olive oil.

Individuals taking CLA also saw reductions in their total cholesterol and LDL("bad") cholesterol. While HDL, or "good" cholesterol also declined, the overall ratio of LDL to HDL remained the same, Wadstein noted.

But only 47 people completed the study and several experienced nausea, possibly due to the number of capsules -- 12 -- that were required each day, Wadstein said. He suggested that taking a recommended dose of CLA in fewer pills might alleviate side effects.

The report is part of a growing body of research on CLA. Some studies have found that the fatty acid helps animals to lose weight, and preliminary animal and test tube research suggests that CLA may lower the risk of breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, skin and stomach cancers. The effect of CLA on humans remains unclear.

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