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Eating certain kinds of fats may actually help obese women with diabetes trim some body fat, a small study suggests.

The study of 35 older women with type 2 diabetes found that supplements containing two types of fats - conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or safflower oil - led to healthy changes in body composition over four months.

With CLA, the women experienced a dip in body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height - and in their total level of body fat.

With safflower oil, the women's BMI did not change, but they typically shed a couple of pounds of fat from the trunk area; they also showed improvements in their blood sugar levels, which signals better diabetes control.

CLA is an unsaturated fatty acid found in beef, lamb and dairy products. Animal research has found that CLA can help melt away body fat, and some studies have suggested the same may hold true in humans.

Safflower oil is rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, but exactly how it might affect body fat and blood sugar is unknown, says Dr Martha Belury, an author of the study and a professor of nutrition at Ohio State University in Columbus. She explains that she and her colleagues were simply using safflower oil as a comparison substance to gauge the effects of CLA. The former, it turned out, had its own unique benefits.

It is too soon to recommend that overweight women with diabetes buy CLA or safflower oil supplements. But they can try to fit more polyunsaturated fats into their diet, Belury says.

"Don't get rid of the healthy fats in your diet when you get rid of the bad ones," she advises.

For now, Belury recommends that people try to work polyunsaturated oils into their diets - eating salads with oil-and-vinegar dressing, for instance, or cooking vegetables with the oils instead of butter.

Questions:

1. How many women took part in the study?

2. What is Safflower oil rich in?

3. What was the result when women of the study added Safflower oil to their diets?

Answers:

1. 35.

2. Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats.

3. They shed a few pounds in the trunk area.

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Chantal Anderson is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site. Originally from Seattle, Washington she has found her way around the world doing photo essays in Greece, Mexico and Thailand. She is currently completing a double degree in Journalism and International Studies from the University of Washington.