A one-stop look at the latest science and opportunities surrounding conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) – a natural component of dairy and beef products that has shown considerable health potential – was the focus of an upcoming, leading-edge conference in Kananaskis, Alta.
"CLA Summit 2007 – Harvesting the Future," May 8-10, 2007, was hosted by the CLA Network, a collaborative team from academia, industry and government, including representatives from many areas of expertise such as research, food industry, health and communications.
Though CLA was relatively unknown a mere decade ago, pioneering studies based largely on animal models have shown this dairy and beef component has considerable potential for human health benefits related to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, bone density and obesity.
"For a food component, CLA has shown extraordinary potential to fight against chronic disease in humans," says Dr. Spencer Proctor, Director of the Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases Laboratory at the University of Alberta, part of the CLA Summit organizing committee. "The CLA Summit showcased the latest scientific findings on a number of key fronts, while providing insight and ideas from leading speakers in the field."
The CLA Network was founded in 2001. Current members include Alberta Agricultural Research Institute, Agriculture and Food Council, Alberta Livestock Industry Development Fund, Alberta Agriculture and Food, University of Alberta, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Alberta Milk, Beef Information Centre, Alberta Beef Producers, the Agriculture Policy Framework and Teagasc Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority.
The Summit was designed to provide an overview of the major progress achieved under the past three years of CLA Network funding, as well as perspectives from leading researchers and industry representatives on new opportunities. It also included poster presentations by CLA researchers and students, as well as a "Round Table" feedback session with stakeholders to set the stage for a new generation of CLA Network progress.
The Report on CLA Summit 2007 provides summaries of each of the major presentations delivered at the conference.
Reprintable with credit. Individual articles in the Report on CLA Summit 2007 are available for reprint, with acknowledgement of the source: The CLA Network. For broader reprint requests or reprint assistance contact the CLA Network at CLAnetwork@gov.ab.ca.
