(Posted 1-11-00)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Service Contact: Laurie Gengenbach, 336-334-5371
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UNCG NUTRITION PROFESSOR RECEIVES
$50,000 FOR RESEARCH ON DIETARY FAT
GREENSBORO— Dr. Michael K. McIntosh, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Foodservice Systems at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has received a $50,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to research a specific form of fat that one day could be used to keep people lean.
Ironically, scientists have discovered that a fatty acid known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) actually reduces the formation of body fat in animals when consumed in isolation, but they don't know how, or which of the six-to-10 forms of CLA that exist are responsible for the action. That's what McIntosh hopes to discover in his two-year project.
Research has shown that pigs fed CLA have resulted in a leaner pork product, but so far, no clinical trials have been done to test its efficacy or safety as a dietary supplement in humans, McIntosh said.
CLA is just one of many types of fat naturally occurring in dairy products, beef, lamb and goat meat. McIntosh emphasized that the effect occurs only when CLA is extracted and consumed in isolation from the rest of the food.
Using cell cultures, McIntosh expects to be able to identify which type of CLA inhibits the growth of body fat, and how the process works. The findings could lead to further research into a dietary supplement that could prevent or reverse obesity. So far his research group has discovered one type of CLA that inhibits fat cells cultured in the lab, he said.
Helping out on the project are Mary Evans, a doctoral student in NFS and Mark Brown, an undergraduate in NFS.
McIntosh, a licensed dietitian, earned his Ph.D degree in human nutrition at the University of Georgia, and specializes in the study of obesity He has taught at UNCG for 11 years, and is recipient of the 1999-2000 NC Board of Governors School HES Outstanding Teacher Award. He is author of 30 journal articles and six book chapters. He and Charlotte McIntosh write the nutrition column "What's On Your Plate?" for the Greensboro News & Record.
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