What do you think of when you hear the words “Conjugated Linoleic Acid”? Maybe some new cleaner that finally eliminates soap scum from your shower with no effort at all? I’ll bet you can’t even imagine it might be a type of fatty acid, when included in the diet in it’s natural form, has anti-cancer, anti-atherogenic and immune boosting properties. Is it some miracle cure that you can take in pill form and it will magically make you immune to all disease? The answer is no, the supplement form of CLA has not proven effective, and may be harmful, but let’s back up a little bit first though. Conjugated Linoleic Acid, better known as CLA actually has 16 different molecular shapes, each with a specific set of benefits. The “natural” type of CLA available in dietary sources, namely ruminant meat and dairy products, is referred to by chemists as cis-9, tran-11 CLA, or rumenic acid. What I mean by “ruminant meat” is meat from mammals that eat plant-based foods and initially soften their foods in their first stomach, then regurgitate the “cud” mass and chew it again. Examples of ruminant animals are cattle, sheep, goat, bison, yak, deer, alpaca, giraffes, water buffalo, camels and wildebeest. Please note that lean hamburger from grass-fed cattle have two and ½ times more CLA than an equally lean hamburger from grain fed cattle in from a feedlot. The cis 9/trans 11 form of CLA (the natural one) has a great deal of scientific support, predominantly from animal and test-tube studies, human studies are beginning to trickle out suggesting it’s potent cancer-fighting qualities. The amazing qualities of this natural CLA, has been it’s ability, in very small amounts, to block all three stages of cancer, namely: 1)initiation 2)promotion and 3)metastasis. That’s really something since the majority of anti-cancer agents blocks only one of these stages. For example, a recent study found a 60% reduction in breast cancer risk for the women with the highest levels of natural CLA. The natural CLA’s anti-atherogenic and immune boosting qualities are even more icing on the “health cake with a recent report in the May, 2010 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study, as Randy pointed out, studied Costa Ricans that drank whole milk from cows that were grass-fed. Grass-fed cows produce about five times the amount of natural CLA as grain fed cows. The study concluded that the higher the content of CLA in the participants’ fat, the lower the risk of a heart attack, with the group having the highest levels of CLA associated with a 49% decrease in risk of heart attack. So how do we procure some of this natural CLA (cis 9/trans 11)? The best way to get the most bang for your natural CLA buck is to buy dairy products and ruminant meat that is grass-fed. This is not as tough as it sounds. More and more dairy and cattle farms are getting back to the basics and are taking the time to grass feed their animals for the overwhelming health benefits. Believe my husband and I, the taste is terrific when it’s raised and processed correctly. That’s beef, the way it ought to be!