Conjugated linoleic acid helps regulate how the body accumulates and retains fat. Athletes and people looking to lose weight take it to reduce appetite, promote fat burning, and increase lean muscle mass. A growing body of evidence also suggests that CLA can help to prevent cancer of the breast and other organs, and reduce plaque formation and thus help prevent heart disease. In animals it has been shown to promote early growth and to boost immunity.

 

A 1998 study done on mice found that CLA could lower body fat by several mechanisms, including reduced energy intake, increased metabolic rate, and a shift in the mix of fuels the body burns at night. Researchers at Purdue University say that they have provided the first evidence that CLA is able to normalize impaired glucose tolerance, which may prove to be an important therapy for the prevention and treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes. A comparison of the cancer-preventing properties of CLA and three other fatty acids found that CLA is unique in that low concentrations (equal to or less than 1 percent) "are sufficient for producing significant cancer protection and that this effect seems to be independent of the other fatty acids."

CLA occurs in various foods, although within the past two decades Americans have drastically reduced their consumption of the most prevalent sources (beef, whole milk, eggs, and cheese) to reduce overall fat and cholesterol. Lite and low-fat versions of dairy products are mostly devoid of CLA. Another factor reducing how much CLA we eat today is that cows make CLA from linoleic acid, which is found in grasses but occurs in low levels in the type of mixed grain feed now used by most cattle farmers. Dairy researchers recently determined that the percentage of CLA in the milk fat derived from cows that have been grazing fresh pasture was more than double that of cows fed the conventional grain-based diet. Other sources of CLA include turkey, chicken, and vegetable oils.

The preliminary evidence suggests that CLA is safe and nontoxic at supplemental levels. CLA part 2  Click here for Weight Loss and CLA

 

References
West, D.B., et al., "Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on body fat and energy metabolism in the mouse," Am J Physiol (1998), 275(3 Pt 2):R667-72

Houseknecht, K.L., et al., "Dietary conjugated linoleic acid normalizes impaired glucose tolerance in the Zucker diabetic fatty fa/fa rat," Biochem Biophys Res Commun (1998), 244(3):678-82

Ip, C., "Review of the effects of trans fatty acids, oleic acid, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid on mammary carcinogenesis in animals," Am J Clin Nutr (1997), 66(6 Suppl):1523S-29S

Kelly, M.L., et al., "Effect of intake of pasture on concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid in milk of lactating cows," J Dairy Sci (1998), 81(6):1630-36

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