Hormonal
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation reduces body fat mass in humans, but this effect is modest and often accompanied by adverse metabolic changes, specifically insulin resistance and reduced adiponectin levels.
CLA supplements can lead to a small reduction in body fat (approx. 1-2 kg over several months) in overweight adults, but this comes with a significant trade-off: it often worsens insulin sensitivity and lowers adiponectin, a protective hormone. For most people, the metabolic risks outweigh the modest fat loss benefits. Focus on diet and exercise instead; CLA is not a recommended primary intervention for weight loss.
These studies and many others (listed in Table 1) have reported a beneficial effect of CLA supplementation on parameters related to body weight and/or adiposity... However, it is likely that CLA supplementation impacts distinct species... differently... CLA promotes a form of weight loss that is not especially metabolically healthy, as evidenced by the reduced PPARγ activity and adiponectin levels.
Why this rating
The paper reviews multiple human trials with mixed results (some show fat loss, others show no effect or metabolic worsening), indicating moderate but inconsistent evidence.
Source
Conjugated Linoleic Acid Effects on Cancer, Obesity, and Atherosclerosis: A Review of Pre-Clinical and Human Trials with Current Perspectives
Laura den Hartigh · Nutrients · 2019
DOI 10.3390/nu11020370
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