CLA - Conjugated Linoleic Acid News

CLA research aims to fatten beef producer pocketbooks

Calgary, Alta., Dec. 12, 2006

New marketing firepower for beef producers and their industry is a major potential benefit of research and development into conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

"CLA is showing promise as a fatty acid with many positive health benefits," says Bruce Beattie, a Sundre, Alta., farmer and chair of the CLA Network. "We know it's produced naturally by beef cattle and is a component of beef products. As the science progress continues, this is creating a fresh, positive message we can take to consumers about the health value of beef."

Based in Alberta, the CLA Network is a collaborative team devoted to harvesting the potential of natural beef and dairy CLA. It includes members from academia, industry and government, including representatives from many areas of expertise such as research, food industry, health and communications.

CLA progress not only creates stronger marketing opportunities for the beef products available today, it introduces the possibility of creating new products that are CLA enriched, notes Beattie. CLA is produced only by ruminant animals and is found naturally in beef. Through CLA research is in early stages, pioneering studies based largely on animal models have shown considerable CLA potential for human health benefits related to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, bone density and obesity.

"Already, studies have shown that significant amounts of CLA are produced under typical production approaches, and CLA levels can be increased through simple changes to diet formulations and other practical strategies," he says.

CLA can help strengthen the health image of beef products, increase demand for existing products and create opportunities to introduce new health-oriented products with enhanced CLA.

"With the CLA Network, everything is done with an eye to supporting the profitability of producers," says Beattie. We want to increase the marketing power of beef. But we want to do that in a way that producers can benefit without taking on unproductive extra work or cost."

One of the interesting findings of CLA Network research is that pastured animals are more likely to have high CLA content, notes Beattie.

"We know that grass particularly, and unfermented feeds in general, is one way that CLA is increased. So grass-fed beef cattle typically have higher levels of CLA. But that doesn't mean we have to go back to feeding our cattle how we did it 50 years ago. The research is identifying simple things like adding sunflower oil to modern diets that can produce a real jump in the CLA produced."

In many ways, that's what the CLA Network work is all about, he says – applying the best of today's science to help make the most of a natural advantage that has always been there.

"It's clear that any benefit that is natural goes a long way with consumers today. That's a huge advantage for CLA," says Beattie. "Using sunflower seeds for example to increase that level of CLA can make up for cattle not getting as much of it from grass, and because it's still through a feed source, it's still a natural way to produce CLA."

More information on the potential of CLA for the beef industry, including further perspective from Beattie, is featured in a new article available on the Web, at www.CLAnetwork.com. Background information on the CLA Network and a range of other articles on CLA progress are also available on the site.

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