The drug kept adiponectin levels steady during the weeks the mice consumed conjugated linoleic acid, Belury said. We think that's what kept the animals from becoming resistant to insulin.

While this is an interesting finding, it doesn't mean that someone taking conjugated linoleic acid should also take an anti-diabetic drug, she continued. It's too soon to tell if that would be the case in humans.

In the rat study, Belury and her colleagues studied a special kind of rat model bred to gain weight quickly. These rats were also less susceptible to conjugated linoleic acid-induced weight loss. All rats ate a high-fat diet for four weeks. For the remaining four weeks of the study, half of the rats ate a low-fat diet supplemented with conjugated linoleic acid, while the rest of the animals ate a low-fat diet without conjugated linoleic acid.

The supplement didn't help the rats lose weight. But it seemed to keep fat from accumulating in the animals' livers, compared to the rats eating the diet without conjugated linoleic acid.

Belury pointed out that up to 75 percent of people with obesity and diabetes develop an illness called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in which fat accumulates in the liver and can ultimately make a person insulin resistant.

conjugated linoleic acid may or may not have a similar effect on humans, and it will take time to determine how the human body responds to the supplement. But clinical trials are underway “ Belury is currently working with researchers from Ohio State's medical center who are conducting a clinical trial of the effects of conjugated linoleic acid on women with diabetes.

Belury conducted the studies with Aparna Purushotham and Angela Wendel, both graduate fellows in human nutrition; and Li-Fen Liu and Gayle Shrode, both graduate research associates in human nutrition.

Support for the work was provided by Cognis North America, a manufacturer of synthetic conjugated linoleic acid headquartered in Cincinnati. Support also came from the Carol S. Kennedy research award and the Anita R. McCormick fellowship.

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