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CLA - Conjugated or Compromised?

 

PART 1: Abbreviations Used in this Article


CLA: conjugated linoleic acid, a trans- fatty acid made from the omega-6 essential linoleic acid by bacterial or industrial partial hydrogenation, or by high-temperature industrial processing. CLA, made by a bond shift and a twist of the molecule, is not a nutrient that is 'essential' for health.

EFA: essential fatty acid, one of two fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) that are 'essential' to the body, which means that:
          • The body cannot make them;
          • It must have them for health to be possible; and
          • The body must therefore obtain 'essential' fatty acids from foods or supplements.
In addition to the 2 EFAs, 20 minerals, 13 vitamins, and 8 amino acids from proteins are also 'essential' for health by the above definition. Omega-6: omega-6, the name by which all members of one family of essential fatty acids is identified. The members include linoleic acid (LA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), dihomogamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), and arachidonic acid (AA). LA: linoleic acid, the omega-6 essential fatty acid, from which the body makes several derivatives with important functions, including GLA, DGLA, and AA. DGLA and AA are the starting points for making hormone-like Series 1 and Series 2 eicosanoids (formerly called 'series 1 and series 2 prostaglandins'). AA is also required for the development and function of the brain. Omega-3: omega-3, the name by which all members of the other family of essential fatty acids is identified. The members of the omega-3 family include alpha-linolenic or ALA or LNA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).ALA: alpha-linolenic acid, the omega-3 essential fatty acid, from which the body makes several derivatives with important functions, including SDA, EPA, and DHA. EPA is the starting point for making hormone-like Series 3 eicosanoids (formerly called 'series 3 prostaglandins'). DHA is required for brain development and brain function.



Introduction

CLA has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years, some through the media, but far more through health and fitness magazines. Many claims for benefits have been made for CLA, from weight loss, to antioxidant, anti-cancer and, more recently, to diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well. Is CLA all it's been cracked up to be? This article addresses that question.

Research Studies
Of 139 references pulled off MedLine in June of 2001, 29 were published in 2001; 65 in 2000; 33 in 1999; and 15 in 1998. Of these 139 references, the following is a breakdown of topics:
    • 10 were production-oriented studies.
    • 6 were reviews, (i.e., these are not studies).
    • 14 were studies about how to get CLA into different foods. One of these came to the brilliant conclusion that cows eating grass (their natural food) contained a better fatty acid (n3: omega-6) profile and more CLA than cows fed concentrates from bags. Wow! What a stunning discovery!1
    • 2 were molecular studies.
    • 24 were studies using cell cultures.
    • 69 were studies performed on animals.
    • 14 studies were carried out on humans.

    Of these research studies, those carried out in living animals and humans (in vivo) are more likely than studies carried out in various normal and abnormal animal and human tissue cultures (in vitro studies) to show how CLA actually affects human health and disease. And, it is important to note that, while CLA is being touted for many human problems, there are relatively few human studies to draw on. Unfortunately, a substantial number of these studies indicate that CLA does not do in human studies what it appears to do in animal studies.


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