Research
Macro partitioning
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation slightly reduces body fat mass and increases lean body mass in people with overweight and obesity, but may have adverse effects on glucose metabolism and inflammation.
CLA supplementation can lead to small reductions in fat mass and increases in lean mass, but it also carries risks of worsening glucose metabolism and lowering HDL cholesterol. It is not recommended as a primary strategy for body composition improvement compared to dietary fat quality adjustments.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
supplementation with CLA can slightly but significantly reduce body weight (−0.5 kg) and fat mass (−0.6 kg) and increase lean body mass (+0.2 kg)... potential beneficial effect of CLA supplementation on body composition, caution should be exercised as their use... has been associated with adverse events including alterations in glucose metabolism and reductions in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.
Why this rating
Based on meta-analyses of RCTs, but with noted adverse metabolic effects.
Source
Polyunsaturated fatty acids as modulators of fat mass and lean mass in human body composition regulation and cardiometabolic health
Cathríona R. Monnard et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2021
DOI 10.1111/obr.13197
narrative_reviewCited 70×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- High intake of plant-based essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (ePUFAs), specifically linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is associated with increased lean body mass and reduced central adiposity, whereas marine-derived long-chain n-3 PUFAs (EPA/DHA) show no significant impact on body composition.Good
- Replacing saturated fatty acids (SFA) with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly plant-based ePUFAs, is associated with less long-term weight gain and reduced risk of obesity in prospective cohort studies.Good
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