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CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is a free fatty acid derived from safflower oil.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), is a naturally occurring free fatty acid found mainly in meat and dairy products, in small amounts. CLA was discovered by accident in 1978 by Michael W. Pariza at the University of Wisconsin while looking for mutagen formations in meat during cooking.

CLA is research proven to build muscle, reduce body fat, and induce an optimum cellular environment for improved health.

CLA occurs naturally in foods such as milk, cheese, beef, and lamb as well as many processed foods, but getting enough CLA from your diet for the preferred benefit would require considerable intake of these types of foods. This is not only impractical, but would also have a seriously negative impact on your metabolism due to the high caloric penalty you would pay.

Not only has CLA been shown to increase muscle mass while reducing body fat, studies have also shown remarkable anti-catabolic, antioxidant, immune enhancement, and anti-cancer benefits. Several other studies have even revealed dramatic cholesterol reducing effects.

Antioxidant Support

CLA is also a powerful antioxidant agent. In the body it is taken up by phospholipids, a class of fats that serve as the principal structural components of cell membranes. CLA enhances the cell membranes defense mechanism against attack by free radicals.

Inflammation Support

CLA may also stimulate the production of key immune system cells and inhibit the release of an immunoglobulin associated with allergies. CLA influences the PPAR-gamma agonist, a class of internal cell receptors that are capable of suppressing the manifestations of inflammatory conditions, in an animal model. Research has isolated PPAR-gamma as the specific cell receptor involved in chronic inflammatory responses. CLA's production of important immune-suppressing compounds such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins, make it a valuable nutrient for improving the body's inflammation response.

How Does CLA Work?

Although all the intricacies of CLA are not fully understood, it is widely accepted in the research community that CLA counterbalances the negative effects of linoleic acid and regulates fat and protein metabolism in animals. Pariza, director of the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin said, "A growing body of data indicates that CLA is a newly recognized nutrient that functions to regulate energy retention and metabolism." CLA can best be described as a Growth Factor.

CLA has been shown in animal studies to increase growth rate through increased feed efficiency. In controlled studies, animals that had their diets supplemented with CLA increased their body protein (muscle tissue) while at the same time, had a significant decrease in body fat. This all occurred in the CLA supplemented animals while their food intake was decreased. Their lean mass increased even though they were eating less! This indicates that CLA increases feed efficiency and also points to a potent nutrient repartitioning effect.

This significant change in body composition can also be attributed in part to CLA's effect on immune function. When CLA levels fall, interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-a are involved in the accumulation of body fat. CLA has been shown to inhibit the lean tissue wasting caused by high levels of these cytokines.

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