Open AccessConjugated linoleic acids: why the discrepancy between animal and human studies?
Author(s) -
Plourde Mélanie,
Jew Stephanie,
Cunnane Stephen C,
Jones Peter JH
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
nutrition reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.958
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1753-4887
pISSN - 0029-6643
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2008.00051.x
Subject(s) - conjugated linoleic acid , animal studies , human studies , linoleic acid , body weight , animal model , biology , food science , chemistry , endocrinology , biochemistry , medicine , fatty acid
Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid. In animals, CLA consumption reduces body fat but results in humans are less conclusive. This review of the literature on CLA and loss of body fat or body weight in humans was conducted to explore the reasons for the discrepancy between animal and clinical trials. It indicates that the incongruity between human and animal data is largely related to methodological differences in the experimental design, including age and gender and, to a lesser extent, to CLA dose and isomers. The relatively unknown metabolic fate of CLA in humans may also be a contributing factor that helps explain the lack of consistency for CLA efficacy across studies.