CLA reduces body fat by increasing basal metabolic rates. In other words, it helps the body convert food more efficiently into energy. CLA doesn't decrease overall body weight; rather, as Pariza told the American Chemical Society, "it keeps a little fat cell from getting bigger." This can alter the body's fat-to-muscle ratio. In one study, Pariza found that those who stopped dieting and did not take CLA eventually put weight back on in a typical manner – about 75 percent fat to 25 percent muscle. Participants who stopped dieting, but kept taking CLA, also gained weight, but at a 50-50 fat-to-muscle ratio.