McIntosh is investigating how a specific type of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, slows the growth of fat cells. The National Institutes of Health awarded him the four-year grant in October 2002.
“A particular CLA, with a healthful diet and physical activity, could help people avoid gaining excess weight and could help overweight people lose weight,” McIntosh said.
The research eventually could lead to the development of a dietary supplement that would help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
McIntosh is a faculty member in the Department of Nutrition, part of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s School of Human Environmental Sciences.
Much of the previous research has involved a variety of CLAs. McIntosh believes he has isolated the particular type that inhibits fat cell growth. He is studying whether it can shrink large fat cells in addition to keeping small ones from growing.
CLA occurs naturally in beef, lamb, goat meat and dairy products, but only in low levels. Eating enough of these foods for the CLA to have any effect is virtually impossible, McIntosh said. In studies that produced leaner animals, the substance was synthesized in a lab and fed to the animals as a supplement.
McIntosh cautions that trials have not proven CLA supplements either safe or effective for humans. Those determinations remain years away.
Some over-the-counter supplements for humans are already advertising CLA content, but these products are largely unregulated. They may not contain the specific type that affects fat cells.
The research is conducted on human fat cells kept alive in the lab. Doctoral students Mark Brown and Soonkyu Chung and undergraduate Toyin Fabiyi are helping McIntosh.
The U.S. Surgeon General has termed obesity an epidemic. Genes, metabolism, behavior, environment, culture, and socioeconomic status all influence body weight.
McIntosh, a licensed dietitian, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1987 and joined the faculty of UNCG in 1989. In 2001, he received a Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, an annual award that honors a faculty member at each UNC campus.
In addition to his laboratory research, McIntosh is investigating healthy eating and exercise practices in Guilford County schools.
