Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) converts fat into muscle by enhancing insulin sensitivity. CLA is found in beef and dairy products. Grass-fed cattle have five times more CLA. CLA also helps fight cancer, boosts the immune system and may combat osteoporosis.
by Dr. Victor Machione
Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, exploded onto the scene a few years ago and was touted as the new wonder nutrient – and with good cause. It seems CLA has a very unique ability: it can literally convert fat into muscle. CLA is a naturally occurring omega-6 fatty acid. CLA takes a different approach to fighting fat than many other products and supplements on the market. It enhances insulin sensitivity, which keeps glucose away from fat tissue, resulting in more muscle and less fat.
Found in beef and dairy products 30 years ago, changes in the feeding methods of cattle have virtually eliminated CLA. Cows raised in feeding lots have a lot less CLA, which means a lot less for you, too. By eating beef or drinking milk provided from grass-fed cows, medical experts estimate you will get four to fives times more CLA than you would from cattle raised in a feed lot. Unfortunately, the beef that is generally available for purchase is feed-lot cattle, which means, as a population, we are not getting enough CLA. Now scientists have found a way to change safflower oil into a CLA supplement, giving us a new way to convert fat into muscle.
Here’s an interesting study that highlights CLA’s special ability to aid weight loss. In a clinical trial involving mice, researchers wanted to find if there was anything that could help stop obesity setting in after reaching menopause. In younger female bodies, estrogen is an important protective factor against obesity. But postmenopausal women have lower levels of estrogen because of age-related loss of ovary function.
Understanding this, a research team based at the Beckman Research Institute in California set out to discover if CLA could reduce body weight gain in female mice with their ovaries removed. The mice were divided into two groups: half the mice were fed with a high-fat diet containing CLA for three months, while the other half received only the high-fat diet.
The researchers found that CLA-fed mice had significantly reduced body weight gain compared to the mice fed a high-fat diet without CLA. They concluded that CLA functions as an anti-obesity supplement in the mouse model for postmenopausal women.
CLA could not only be good for fighting obesity and weight gain — it could also offer the following benefits:
–Inhibit growth of prostate cancer (as opposed to plain linoleic acid, which promotes it)
–Prevent and inhibit breast cancer
–Bolster the immune system
–Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels
–Help combat osteoporosis
As with any new supplement regime, check with your doctor before you start using CLA.
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