Research

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Supplementation with a 50:50 mixture of cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) at doses of 3.2–3.4 g/day for at least 6 months induces a modest but significant reduction in body fat mass and body weight in humans.

To potentially reduce body fat, take 3.2–3.4 grams of a 50:50 CLA mixture daily for at least 6 months. Do not expect dramatic results; the benefit is modest. This intervention works best when combined with other obesity control tools like physical activity, as CLA alone has limited impact on food intake or energy expenditure in humans compared to animal models.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
three meta-analyses of previous human studies concluded that CLA supplementation induced modest, but significant, loss in body weight and BFM when CLA was supplemented at 3.2–3.4 g/d for at least 6 months (Onakpoya et al. 2012, Schoeller et al. 2009, Whigham et al. 2007).
Jun Ho Kim et al. · Annual Review of Food Science and Technology · 2016

Why this rating

Based on three meta-analyses of human clinical trials, indicating high-quality aggregate evidence, though individual trial consistency varies.

Source

Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Potential Health Benefits as a Functional Food Ingredient

Jun Ho Kim et al. · Annual Review of Food Science and Technology · 2016

DOI 10.1146/annurev-food-041715-033028

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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