The Truth Behind Conjugated Linoleic Acid

One of the names that has been popping up in the diet world a lot in recent years is Conjugated Linoleic acid.  By definition, Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are a family of at least 28 isomers of linoleic acid found especially in the meat and dairy products derived from ruminants, or cows, to you and me. Yes, believe it or not, there is a fatty acid in red meat and whole dairy foods that scientists are pointing to as a weight loss factor! Now you would think that most Americans are getting plenty of this stuff in their diets, but those who are a bit too obsessed with dieting and diet pills or those addicted to the consumption of processed foods are often deficient in CLA.  Some say that without CLA, our metabolism fails to operate as efficiently as it could, as CLA helps glucose get into muscle cells more effectively, and prevents glucose from being converted into fat. It also helps fats enter the cell membranes of muscle and connective tissue, where the fat is burned for fuel.

So where’s the proof?  Well it is scarce and not so thrilling, to be honest.  In 2000 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, scientists revealed long-awaited results of the first human studies and declared that CLA supplements may help overweight adults lose weight and maintain that loss, but in one human study, each person only lost an average of two-four pounds a year.  Seems like you can lose far more weight than that by avoiding refined carbohydrates, engaging in regular physical exercise and supplementing your diet with good nutrition. And some people will lose one to two pounds of body fat per week by making these changes. But if you want to try increasing your CLA intake anyway, go for lean red meat, lamb and dairy products or try CLA supplements, if you’ve got the extra cash to burn.