Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): A good fat? 

Yeonhwa Park

Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst,

100 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003 

      CLA is a collective term for geometric and positional isomers of conjugated linoleic acid. Since the identification of CLA as an anti-carcinogen from beef in the 1970s, it has been studied for a wide range of biological activity. Among its activities are reducing development of atherosclerosis, enhancing growth of animals, modulating immune responses, reducing hypersensitivity, and interestingly reducing body fat while enhancing lean body mass. One explanation for the variety of biological activities of this relatively simply structured fatty acid is that CLA is a mixture of isomers, mainly cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 isomers and the many physiological effects of CLA appear to be the result of multiple interactions between these two isomers. From a number of clinical trials with CLA, it is apparent that the effects of CLA in humans are less dramatic than those seen in mice and the difference in activity for CLA’s biochemical action in humans and animals still needs to be explored, as well as any safety concerns.

Dr. Park received her BS and MS from the School of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Korea, and then joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her Ph. D. in Food Science. Since 2004, she has held the F.J. Francis Endowed chair as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her primary research focus involves fatty acids, particularly conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), as tools for the prevention of chronic diseases. She has published 47 papers and book chapters and has received 4 patents on the use of conjugated fatty acids. Dr. Park received the ILSI 2007 Future Leader Award and the 2003 American Oil Chemists Society Young Scientist Research Award. She is a member of the IFT, AHA, ACS, AOCS, and ASNS. She has organized and co-chaired symposia on CLA and acrylamide at the Annual IFT meeting and AOCS among many other professional activities. Her current research focus is determining the health promoting effects of conjugated fatty acids, with emphasis on bone health, diabetes, and obesity.