Special edition: Immune support
CLA
Widely linked to the weight management sector, science is emerging to support the immune health benefits of CLA.
The ingredient is most often found as a mixture of isomers: cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12.
Following a recent symposium on CLA during the American Chemical Society national conference in Philadelphia, Mark Cook from the University of Wisconsin-Madison told NutraIngredients-USA that the next big areas for the ingredient would be inflammation, longevity and immune support.
Emile Henein, global business manager for CLA supplier Stepan Lipid Nutrition, explains that the c9, t11 is believed to contribute to a positive immune system.
"Animal and select human studies have shown that c9,t11 has a modulatory effect on the immune system. These immune modulatory effects have been confirmed in select human clinical studies," he said.
"The studies suggest that the antigen specific responses (directed against viruses and bacteria) are maintained or improved after treatment with c9,t11 CLA, but nonspecific responses (related to immune over sensitivity) are clearly reduced. This is the ideal profile of an “immune suppressive” agent and a tailored formulation can support immune modulation."