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Review
. 2023 Aug 29;20(1):35.
doi: 10.1186/s12986-023-00758-9.

The effect of conjugated linoleic acids on inflammation, oxidative stress, body composition and physical performance: a comprehensive review of putative molecular mechanisms

Husna Dharma Putera  1 , Rumi Iqbal Doewes  2 , Mohammed Nader Shalaby  3 , Andrés Alexis Ramírez-Coronel  4 , Zachary S Clayton  5 , Walid Kamal Abdelbasset  6   7 , Saidmurodkhon S Murtazaev  8   9 , Abduladheem Turki Jalil  10 , Pegah Rahimi  11 , Elyas Nattagh-Eshtivani  12 , Mahsa Malekahmadi  13 , Naseh Pahlavani  14
Affiliations
Review

The effect of conjugated linoleic acids on inflammation, oxidative stress, body composition and physical performance: a comprehensive review of putative molecular mechanisms

Husna Dharma Putera et al. Nutr Metab (Lond). .

Abstract

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are polyunsaturated fatty acids primarily found in dairy products and ruminant animal products such as beef, lamb, and butter. Supplementation of CLAs has recently become popular among athletes due to the variety of health-promoting effects, including improvements in physical performance. Preclinical and some clinical studies have shown that CLAs can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress and favorably modulate body composition and physical performance; however, the results of previously published clinical trials are mixed. Here, we performed a comprehensive review of previously published clinical trials that assessed the role of CLAs in modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, body composition, and select indices of physical performance, emphasizing the molecular mechanisms governing these changes. The findings of our review demonstrate that the effect of supplementation with CLAs on inflammation and oxidative stress is controversial, but this supplement can decrease body fat mass and increase physical performance. Future well-designed randomized clinical trials are warranted to determine the effectiveness of (1) specific doses of CLAs; (2) different dosing durations of CLAs; (3) various CLA isomers, and the exact molecular mechanisms by which CLAs positively influence oxidative stress, inflammation, body composition, and physical performance.

Keywords: Body composition; Conjugated linoleic acid; Inflammation; Oxidative stress; Physical Performance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial and non-financial conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Structure of main and specific isomers of CLA
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Possible molecular mechanism of the effect of CLA supplementation on inflammation and oxidative stress. ARA, Arachidonic acid; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; Cox-2, cyclooxygenase 2; Th1, type 1 T helper
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Probably mechanisms that CLA may alter the body composition and physical performance. CAT-1, Carnitine-palmitoil-transferase-1; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; Cox-2, cyclooxygenase 2; Th1, type 1 T helper; LPL, lipoprotein lipase; PPARγ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ
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