CLA stands for conjugated linoleic acid, which is a fatty acid found in certain foods. CLA consumption may benefit humans in promoting weight loss, reducing cardiovascular problems and increasing immune and antioxidant functions. There are also side effects to CLA, but it is unlikely that people eat enough CLA foods to suffer from adverse effects.
Meat
Meat is a primary source of CLA, especially beef products, though it only has small amounts. Cows used to be pasture fed, but today people use cheaper methods to feed livestock on grains that produce meat with less nutrition. The meat from pasture-fed animals has three to five times more CLA and fewer calories than meat from animals raised on conventional diets, according to an article on Eatwild.com entitled "Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Products." Vegetarians cannot count on using meat as a source of CLA, but dairy products and certain vegetable oils contain CLA as well.
Dairy
Dairy products such as milk, cheese and even ice cream contain CLA, but products made from animals fed grass still contain higher levels than grain-fed animals. Cream has the highest amount of CLA of all dairy products, says Udo Erasmus, Ph.D. Yet the average gram of butter -- which is made from cream -- contains approximately only 5 mg of CLA. Vegans who do not eat cream, butter or other dairy products can still get CLA from vegetable oils or CLA supplements.
Oils
Safflower, sunflower and canola oils also contain CLA. As these are all vegetable oils, they are suitable for consumption by vegans, vegetarians and omnivores. Oils have less CLA per gram than meat and dairy products.
Considerations
Foods are not a sufficient source of CLA to produce benefits such as weight loss that CLA is promoted as having, says Dr. Eramus. For example, a standard recommended dosage of CLA is 3 g. To get 3 g of CLA from butter -- the richest natural source of CLA -- a person would have to eat 560 g of butter, which has 4,032 calories. That would be for a single day's worth of CLA. CLA supplements are an alternative for people wanting higher amounts of CLA in their diet for health reasons. The problem there is that most CLA softgel supplements contain only 500 mg, which means a person needs to take a pill six times daily to get the minimum 3 g of CLA, and most people are unwilling to do that.
References
- Eatwild.com; Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Products; Jo Robinson
- Urasmus.com; CLA: Conjugated or Compromised; Udo Erasmus, Ph.D.
- "The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Comparative Study of High-linoleic Acid Vegetable Oils for the Production of Conjugated Linoleic Acid; W. Gammill, A. Proctor and V. Jain; March 2010
- The Ohio State University; Evaluation of the Relationship of Dairy and Meat Consumption (as CLA Content) With Resting Metabolic Rate; Kelly Joe Krill; June 2008
- NaturalNews.com; CLA Supplements Shown to Reduce Body Fat and Increase Lean Body Mass: Study Examines Effects of This Healthy Oil; Mike Adams; June 2004
Member Comments