Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Your Immune System, Weight Loss And More

Conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) is an essential fatty acid that is extremely important for a variety of body functions. Fats are not all bad. Actually, they are essential for life and perform a variety of functions in every cell in the body. With the exception of linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and linolenic acid, the body is able to produce most of the fatty acids that are necessary for life. Linolenic and arachidonic acid can be made from linoleic acid, as long as it is present in the body. CLA is a form of linoleic acid that can be easily assimilated into the body.

Beef, veal, and dairy products are the best sources of CLA. Some concern exists that most individuals do not get enough CLA in their diets. This fact may be attributed partially to the diets of cattle in the United States. Generally, cows have eaten fresh grass as a diet staple. However, cost and less grazing area has led many cattle to be fed grains and hay instead of fresh grass. Fresh grass is responsible for providing more CLA than any other food source. This has led to the belief that there is less CLA in meat than what was previously thought. It is this decline in CLA that may be a large contributor to the problem of obesity.

Amazing research on CLA has been conducted in the past years. CLA has been studied for its ability to protect against some forms of cancer. When rats were given CLA, the results showed a lower incidence of breast tumors. The more CLA that is present in the diet, the lower the risk of developing tumors. Additional research has yielded similar results in the prevention of other forms of cancer, such as skin and stomach. It seems that there is potential in the use of CLA as an anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant. This nutrient may also offer some benefit to the immune system.

CLA is very helpful in impeding the progression of heart disease. Animal studies involving rabbits concluded that a group fed a diet that was high in fat and cholesterol, but supplemented with CLA had much lower levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Additionally, the aorta had less blockage.

It is hard to believe that fat is actually help to reduce fat, but this statement appears to be true with CLA. Research done using rats has determined that those fed CLA had 58 percent less body fat than those rats that were not given CLA. Although he weights of the rats stayed basically the same, they gained muscle mass while losing fat. Another study involving humans placed half of the group on CLA, while the other half was given a placebo. The group was followed for three months. At the end of this time frame, the people taking CLA had lost an average of five pounds and about fifteen to twenty percent of their body fat. The placebo group, on the other hand, had little or no change in weight or percentage of body fat.

CLA is continually undergoing research to validate its usefulness as a natural supplement. The benefits it has shown thus far are very substantial for many individuals. For more information on the many beneficial effects provided by CLA, please contact a representative from your local health food store.

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