By:  Dr. Pamela Avery

CLA was first identified in 1978. Dr. Michael Pariza was studying beef extract at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as part of his cancer research. What he found was unexpected.  Dr. Pariza’s initial research suggested two important possibilities. First, that CLA helps reduce body fat, and second, that it helps maintain lean muscle tissue. These initial findings attracted great interest, and a surge of scientific studies and research followed.

Data from a number of studies and trials have shown that different conjugated linoleic acids (CLA’s) may produce beneficial effects on cancer, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes and changes in body composition. Despite the increasing knowledge about CLA’s implications on health, the mechanism of action of these fatty acids is not completely understood. Moreover, human studies indicate that some of these beneficial effects are considerably less evident than anticipated from mice studies, while the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements containing CLA have been questioned in some intervention trials. Recently, it has been suggested that the anti-carcinogenic and anti-atherosclerosis effects of CLA’s stem from its anti-inflammatory properties. Because inflammatory responses are associated with the pathophysiology of many diseases, including obesity and the metabolic syndrome, the investigation in this area is of growing interest in recent years

CLA works on various aspects of your body

• Adipocytes,
• Triglycerides and
• Carnitine palmitoyltransferase.

Adipocytes are fat cells. CLA helps to decrease the number and size of adipocytes, lowering your body-fat mass. Now this is very exciting.  Prior to the discovery of CLA, it was felt the only way you could decrease the number of your fat cells was through the surgical removal of fat cells – commonly called liposuction.  We now know that CLA can actually trigger a process called apoptosis (programmed death) of preadipocytes (immature fat cells).  That’s right!  CLA can actually eliminate those immature fat cells just waiting to be filled up with fat from our poor eating habits.

Triglycerides are fats. Most dietary fat and fat produced in our bodies comes in the form of triglycerides. Once these fats enter your blood, an enzyme called LPL (lipoprotein lipase) hydrolyzes lipids, fats, where they are stored in adipocytes, fat cells. Studies show that CLA helps to inhibit LPL activity, so overall less fat gets stored. By storing less fat, the mature adipocytes (fat cells) begin to shrink as the body uses up its fat stores.  As the fat cells shrink, over time they begin to disintegrate. Ultimately by increasing the rate at which fat cells disintegrate, CLA helps decrease the size and number of existing fat cells stored in your body.  In a sense, CLA works like a “nutritional” form of liposuction!

CPT (carnitine palmitoyltransferase) is an enzyme. It transports fatty acids to the inner workings of the cell, the mitochondria, where they are turned into the energy you need to keep going. Additional studies show that CLA actually promotes CPT activity, so fat is burned up faster-leaving less of it hanging around to be stored in your body.  In particular, the fat that is most responsive to this CPT activity is the fat in the abdomen, on the inner organs, on the belly, hips and thighs – all places where fat produces its most unhealthy effects.  Again, this highly targeted fat loss is where most of us have the most difficulty in losing weight, short of liposuction.

So just where is CLA found in our diets? It turns out that animals who eat grass actually produce a great deal of CLA in the fat that is laid down in their bodies.  Their stomachs are designed to create this form of healthy fat.  Even the milk and eggs they produce are loaded with CLA.  Now in today’s world, most of our animals are fed corn in feedlots and hen houses.  Corn is full of starch, a form of glucose.  These corn fed animals create more fat as saturated fat in their bodies, a less healthy form of fat.  In fact, they aren’t designed to eat corn and have to adapt over time.  There is a growing number of farmers raising meats that are grass-fed as well as producing dairy products and eggs from grass fed animals.  They often sell their produce at local farmer’s markets.

But don’t fear if you don’t live near a good farmer’s market.  There are supplements available from safflower oil that are loaded with CLA.  The research shows that taking 3.4 grams a day of CLA a day will improve sensitivity to insulin, lower body fat and increase lean muscle mass.  However, taking more than this amount will not be advantageous and can actually cause your body to become resistant to the effects of insulin.  Unless you are eating from a grass-fed farm, I recommend that everyone, including children, take a CLA supplement a day.

Eating a low glycemic impact diet while supplementing with CLA can actually change your body composition over time.  While a little more time-consuming than liposuction, it’s far more healthy, far less risky and definitely cheaper!  And if you have already had liposuction, it will help you maintain those great results for life!  So add CLA to your supplement regimen and literally watch the fat melt away.

Online health and wellness expert, Dr. Pamela Avery, publishes the widely acclaimed ‘Natural Solutions, Natural You’ weekly ezine with 1,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to improve your health, make more money by helping others improve their health, or just have more fun and energy in your life, all naturally, then get your FREE tips now at http://www.the-natural-md.com.