Good Fatty Acid for Diabetics
 (HealthScoutNews, 1/31/03)

According to an article in the January 2003 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential fatty acid, may help diabetics control their weight and blood sugar. The journal reports that researchers studied 21 subjects with adult onset diabetes by giving 11 participants daily doses of a mixture of rumenic acid and a CLA isomer called 10-12 and giving the control group safflower oil. At the end of 8 weeks, participants who had taken the CLA had lower weight and blood sugar. Study findings also correlated higher blood levels of CLA with lower levels of leptin, a hormone which plays a role in regulating fat levels.