[Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and their relevance in the reduction of body fat. A critical review of the currently available data]

Abstract

Various experiments on animals have shown that conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) supposedly have numerous positive effects on health including reducing body fat. Although previous studies on humans did not lead to consistent results, the popularity of CLA as a weight loss product for overweight people and as a muscle-building substance for athletes is increasing. Numerous internet providers or drugstores market CLA supplements or CLA-containing products. This article presents background information on the occurrence and biological effect of CLA and provides an up-to-date summary of studies on human subjects. Finally, whether supplementation with CLA for the reduction of body fat is useful will be evaluated.