Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid that's been praised for its ability to fight cancer and diabetes, is once again in the news, this time for its ability to help you lose weight.

Previous studies have shown that CLA reduces body fat while preserving muscle tissue, making the compound a huge boon to the supplement market, popular with bodybuilders and dieters alike.

What's more, studies have shown that CLA may also:

• Increase your metabolic rate, a positive benefit for promoting normal thyroid function
• Help maintain normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Enhance your immune system

However, there is one major caveat here, and that's the source of the CLA. If you buy CLA supplements you are likely to get the side effects discussed in the article -- such as increases in blood levels of C-reactive protein and increased insulin resistance.

Why?

Because when you take CLA in supplement form you are getting the fat unnaturally and out of balance. The absolute BEST way to get CLA is naturally from grass-fed beef (grass-fed animals have from three to five times more CLA than grain-fed animals).

So if you're looking to get more CLA in your diet, please do so naturally. Aside from grass-fed beef, dairy products from grass-fed cows such as raw milk, raw butter and raw milk cheese are also good choices for CLA.