Nutritious Fat - CLA

You know, in the 80's, a lot of people got scared.

They were scared of fat.

They were told that "fat makes you fat", so they reached for foods that had fat artificially removed, kept all the grainy carbs.

20 years later, people are still confused. Well, did you know there's a dietary fat that the body does not make on its own but does require in order to help regulate blood clotting, blood pressure, heart rate, immune response, and yes, even weight loss? That fat is called Conjugated Linoleic Acid, or CLA for short.

By now, you may have heard of CLA, probably because grass-fed beef is becoming more popular. Cows who eat grass instead of corn have high levels of this nutritious fat. Mainstream nutritionists are even starting to catch on to CLA's benefits. I read an article in a fitness magazine recently that if your meat is grass-fed, DO NOT cut the fat off. The reason? The CLA will help you lose weight and may even protect you against cancer. This is amazing given the fact that we're constantly told to trim the fat to stay slim.

CLA's popularity started back in 1994 when a study was published stating that CLA actually protected the body against atherosclerosis. Even though scientists thought this went counter to mainstream thinking, more studies were done and more positive findings came out.

Athletes were the first group to really embrace CLA to help get lean and improve strength. Now it's a standard supplement in sports nutrition.

Among those of us who aren't athletes, CLA also has a place. One study showed that CLA helped obese men lose weight, especially in the abdominal area.

Scientists believe that CLA may improve body composition by boosting the body's rate of calorie burning. Products that do this are called thermogenics, but most thermogenics contain stimulants that can raise the heart rate. But you know, I've never been comfortable with people taking stimulants. Instead, CLA's action is non-stimulating, and works naturally inside the body.

There's some good evidence that CLA naturally raises the level of growth hormone, which builds muscle, helps blood circulation, and mobilizes fat to be burned as energy. This is one fat I wouldn't wanna be without.

Did I pique your interest? If I did, and you'd like to know more about CLA, just give me a call or visit the Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) page.

I'm Guy Evans, and now you know!