Research
Macro partitioning
The trans-10,cis-12 isomer of CLA is responsible for the modulation of body composition (reduction in body fat), whereas the cis-9,trans-11 isomer has no effect on body fat reduction.
When selecting a CLA supplement, ensure it contains the trans-10,cis-12 isomer, as this is the specific isomer responsible for body composition changes. The naturally occurring cis-9,trans-11 isomer found in dairy does not share this property.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The isomer-specific studies revealed that the trans-10,cis-12 isomer is responsible for CLA’s role in the modulation of body composition, but the cis-9,trans-11 isomer has no effect (Park et al. 1999c).
Why this rating
Based on isomer-specific studies cited in the review, though the text notes most human studies used the mixture.
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
narrative_reviewCited 237×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- 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.Good
- Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation does not significantly influence blood lipid markers (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triacylglycerides) or blood pressure in humans, although it may increase C-reactive protein (CRP) without necessarily increasing cardiovascular disease risk.Good
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