Long before electric lights, telephones, automobiles, airplanes, mass communication, nuclear power, space travel and computers changed the way we live, cows used to feed solely on grass! Something important was taking place.
The grass, rich in a substance called linoleic acid, was converted by the cow's digestive system into an important substance called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Over the past twenty-four years, the discovery of CLA's protective benefits have caused a scientific sensation. For example, there is compelling scientific evidence that CLA, a fatty acid found in meat and cheese, can promote youthful metabolic function and melt fat away!
CLA supplementation was shown to improve lean muscle mass to body fat ratio, while decreasing fat accumulation, especially on the abdomen! In other words, CLA in your diet can help you stay slim and improve your muscle to fat ratio. One mechanism through which dietary CLA reduces body fat is by enhancing insulin sensitivity. Increased insulin sensitivity allows glucose and fatty acids to pass more easily through muscle cell membranes and away from storage in fatty tissues.
But scientists have found that we no longer get enough CLA in our diets. There are two reasons. Today, cows seldom feed on grass. Instead, they are fed grains and feeds which are not rich in linoleic acid. Experts estimate the levels of CLA in our foods are nearly 80% less than just 20 years ago. Secondly, "fat phobia" has caused a dramatic reduction in the consumption of CLA-containing beef and dairy products.
In any event, when you consider that today's liter of full-fat whole milk contains just over 1 gram of CLA, you can see it is very difficult to consume beneficial amounts of CLA (3 to 4 g per day) from food. The result is that we are missing the substantial dietary and health benefits of CLA. One major reason for the current obesity epidemic in America could be CLA deficiency!
Let's take a look at the latest research findings:
CLA Study Yields 20% Reduction in Body Fat! Researchers recently reported on a very promising 3 month double-blind human study in twenty healthy volunteers (ten men, ten women).
Half the group received CLA and the other half placebo. The CLA dose was (six) 500 mg. capsules per day with a dosage scheme of 2 capsules in the morning, 2 capsules at lunch and 2 capsules at dinner. The participants were asked to take the capsules together with food and to swallow the capsules with 200 ml of water on each occasion. Each capsule contained 500 mg. of pure CLA.
Interestingly, the test subjects were asked not to change any aspect of their diet and lifestyle while participating in the study. The CLA group achieved an impressive twenty percent reduction in body fat while no changes were seen in the placebo group.
CLA Energizes and Keeps Fat Off! Researchers at the University of Wisconsin recruited 80 obese volunteers into a 3-month, randomized, placebo controlled study. Half were given 3 grams of CLA daily in the form of 6, 500 mg capsules — 2 capsules with each meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner along with 200 ml of water on each occasion. Each capsule contained 500 mg of pure CLA. The other volunteers were given a placebo.
The test subjects were put on a diet program and asked to exercise. Those taking CLA reported less fatigue, dizziness and nausea. Most notably, when the study participants resumed eating their "normal" diets, the placebo group piled the pounds back on at the astounding rate of 75% body fat and 25% lean muscle. The group that continued taking the CLA supplement gained 45% body fat and 55% lean muscle mass. Researchers theorize that CLA may block fat cells that are in the body from filling up with fat.
CLA Helps Melt Fat and Build Muscle According to a recently published article in the Journal of Nutrition, CLA appears to melt away fat while boosting lean muscle mass. According to Dr. Jan Wadstein, Associate Professor of Medicine at Lund University and leader of a Scandinavian research team, "while CLA is no magic bullet, it may prove to be a useful tool in combination with exercise."
Dr. Wadstein found that consuming 3 to 4 grams of CLA daily helped overweight individuals mobilize fat from cells while revving up muscle metabolism. "The present data indicate that consumption of CLA reduces body fat mass in overweight, moderately obese healthy volunteers," according to Dr. Henrietta Blankson from Scandinavian Clinical Research in Norway.
The study, published in the December issue of The Journal of Nutrition, compared doses of CLA with an inactive placebo that contained 9 grams of olive oil. Individuals taking CLA also saw reductions in their total cholesterol and LDL ("bad" cholesterol).
CLA Improves Insulin Sensitivity
New evidence suggests that including CLA in the diet may improve insulin sensitivity and help control Type II diabetes.
Type II diabetics who consumed 6 grams of CLA dietary supplement daily for 8 weeks showed an improved (lower) body fat to lean muscle ratio, lower triglyceride levels and improved serum insulin levels at the end of the study period, according to preliminary research findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.
In another study researchers from Purdue University, led by Dr. Martha A. Belury, gave conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to 11 Type II diabetics while 8 other diabetics followed their normal diet. None of the patients was receiving medication for Type II diabetes.
After 8 weeks, triglyceride levels dropped by an average of about 50 mg/dl in patients taking CLA, but only by about 10 mg/dl in patients on control diets. Body mass index dropped a mean of 0.5 in the CLA group, while rising slightly in those patients not taking CLA, Dr. Belury said.
In a published abstract of the meeting, Dr. Belury and her group noted that CLA works to improve insulin sensitivity by binding to cell receptors (peroxisome proliferator cell receptors) which are the same targets that have been shown to reduce insulin resistance and enhance insulin action in humans. It has been shown that CLA supplementation lowers postprandial (post meal) glucose in hemoglobin A1c levels in laboratory animals. "We need a good-sized study to tease out if persons with more severe disease or less severe disease will respond to CLA. It might end up being a good complement to therapy,"said Dr. Belury.
Editor's Note: If you are a diabetic or taking medication consult your physician. Keto CLA is not intended to prevent or treat any disease.
