And unlike the other so-called "breakthrough" fat busters that have blown up the Internet in recent years, the fat-fighting effects of conjugated linoleic acid are supported by clinical research on living, breathing human beings (imagine that), and not merely mice in a laboratory. 

Indeed, interest in the use of conjugated linoleic acid as a supplement that actually slims your body instead of just your pocketbook skyrocketed after 'America's Doctor' devoted a segment of his popular daytime TV health show to this new slimming super fat. Click here to watch.

In fact, this new fat fighter is showing so much potential that he recently did a follow-up segment on this amazing compound, calling it one of today's "most promising fat fighters." You can watch the episode here.

Shock Pilot Study: 20% Reduction in Body Fat in Humans?

Conjugated linoleic acid began to hit the radar of weight-management researchers several years ago after a study presented at the Federation for Applied Science and Experimental Biology national meeting in New Orleans caused quite a stir.

Presented by a group of scientists from Norway, the study showed that in humans, 3,000 mg of conjugated linoleic acid taken daily brought about an average 20% reduction in body fat percentage in humans.¹

Of course, this unexpected scientific bombshell raised more than a few eyebrows. "Too good to be true," was the common sentiment among the scientists in attendence.

Skeptical, a number of researchers returned to the lab and put the compound through a wave of rigorous placebo-controlled clinical studies — on humans —to see if these claims could be validated.

Well, the long-awaited results are beginning to be published in top scientific journals — and they seem to confirm (although not to the same 20-percent degree) what the Norwegian researchers have said all along: Conjugated linoleic acid does indeed appear to help people significantly increase fat burning and favorably alter body composition.^1-4

» Effects on Abdominal Fat:  In a recent study from Uppsala University in Sweden, 25 human subjects supplementing with conjugated linoleic acid experienced an average 1-inch reduction of abdominal diameter within 28 days without  changes to their diets² (although, as experts will tell you, best results are always achieved when supplementation is used conjunction with a healthy diet).

»  Other Effects on Bodyfat: A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that 118 people taking conjugated linoleic acid lost an average of 5.6% more body fat than people taking a placebo. Women seemed to lose fat mass from their legs and stomach, with men losing fat from their belly.³

» Effects on Health:  A new 2-year study published in the Journal of Nutrition concludes that conjugated linoleic acid causes  statistically significant improvements in fat loss and is both well-tolerated and safe.⁴

Been Disappointed Before? Why This May Be Different...

Be it green coffee beans or garcinia cambogia, every few weeks a new super "fat-burning" compound is met with great fanfare on the Internet... only to fizzle out after it fails to live up to the hype. 

So what makes conjugated linoleic acid different? Two words: human research.

Indeed, conjugated linoleic acid has been shown in at least a half-dozen published human clinical trials to aid in the reduction of body fat. "It appears conjugated linoleic acid works to aid leanness in several ways," says Dr. Michael Pariza, Ph.D., a pioneer researcher of the compound from the University of Wisconsin.

"It keeps little fat cells from getting big, it encourages formation of lean muscle, and it enhances the oxidation of fat cells."

Dr. Pariza was one of more than 20 researchers who presented results from clinical studies of the compound at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific association.

Conjugated linoleic acid is the collective term for the different chemical variations of linoleic acid — one of the omega-6 essential fatty acids that cannot be made by the body but is necessary for thousands of biochemical reactions to take place. The compound is found naturally in certain foods, primarily dairy sources. However, one would have to eat 7.65 pounds of Mozzarella cheese and 31.25 gallons of plain low-fat yogurt to get the equivalent amount of conjugated linoleic acid found in just six capsules. Therefore, supplementation is recommended.

2. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Aug;25(8):1129-35. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduced abdominal adipose tissue in obese middle-aged men with signs of the metabolic syndrome: a randomised controlled trial.

3. Br J Nutr. 2007 Mar;97(3):550-60. Six months supplementation with conjugatedlinoleic acid induces regional-specific fat mass decreases in overweight and obese.

4. J Nutr. 2005 Apr;135(4):778-84. Supplementation with conjugatedlinoleic acid for 24 months is well tolerated by and reduces body fat mass in healthy, overweight humans.