Dairy may not be as bad as you thought

Its a good source of conjugated linoleic acid,an essential fatty acid.

Usually,dairy is one of the first things to be sacrificed when people start a calorie or cholesterol control diet. The jury on dairy seems to be still divided. The anti-dairy lobby has several explanations for abandoning dairy,while most scientific evidence and dietary guidelines do include low-fat dairy as an integral part of a healthy diet. Besides its commonly known benefits including bone building and valuable nutrition profile,there is more to this food group than we knew. Dairy has been found to be a good source of conjugated-linoleic acid (CLA),a variant of linoleic aid,an essential fatty acid.

Dairy products have become a subject of controversy for various reasons fears of heart disease,obesity and even cancer. Often,those diagnosed with a malignancy are made to believe that giving up dairy would be helpful. Quite contrary to that,CLA is believed to be protective against all these. CLA occurs in the rumen of cows and other ruminants and are present in their milk and other dairy products including cheese,yoghurt,butter. It can also be found in the meat of cattle and lamb.

CLA research can be traced back to 1977,when Peter Parodi identified CLA in cows milk. The turning point in CLA research was the investigations by Micheal Pariza that revealed the tumor inhibiting activity of CLA.

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CLA has also been shown to inhibit cancer by several mechanisms,which have been identified. CLA is a unique anti-carcinogen which inhibits the growth of a number of human cancer cell lines and suppresses chemically-induced tumor development in laboratory animals. CLA has been found to be beneficial particularly in cancers of colon,ovaries,prostate,breast,blood,bone marrow (leukaemia) and skin (melanoma). Intake of 1 per cent CLA in diet has been reported to reduce the breast cancer incidence by nearly 60 per cent. A study reported that CLA enriched butter inhibited rat mammary tumor yield by 53 per cent.

Researchers have also discovered,in animal experiments,that CLA helps in lowering cholesterol,very low density lipoprotein (VLDL),low-density lipoproteins (LDL-bad cholesterol),LDL-HDL ratio,total cholesterol-HDL ratio and triglycerides and reduced arterial plaque build up. CLA also prevents heart diseases by exhibiting its antioxidant activity and inhibiting formation of free radicals. Also,the researchers suggest that CLA has a tocopherol (Vitamin E) sparing effect. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant vitamin protecting against several diseases.

CLA use as an aid for reducing body fat followed when some studies on animal research reported reduction of body fat following CLA dietary supplements. Postulated mechanisms suggest that CLA reduces body fat by reducing energy intake,increasing metabolic rate,regulating glucose and fatty acid uptake and improving insulin sensitivity. However,the benefits of using CLA dietary supplements for reducing body fat have not been consistent and conclusive.

Additional potential benefits include a reduction in food-induced allergic reactions,as well as the overall enhancement of the immune system. However,CLA does not seem to help replenish the immune system once an animal has become immuno-depleted.

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Data is still limited and more studies are needed to reveal

specific functions,benefits and evaluate long-term safety of CLA supplementation.

Ishi Khosla is a former senior nutritionist at Escorts. She heads the Centre of Dietary Counselling and also runs a health food store. She feels that for complete well-being,one should integrate physical,mental and spiritual health. According to her: To be healthy should be the ultimate goal for all.