title: Pros and cons of CLA consumption: an insight from clinical evidences.
abstract: This comprehensive review critically evaluates whether supposed health benefits propounded upon human consumption of conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are clinically proven or not. With a general introduction on the chemistry of CLA, major clinical evidences pertaining to intervention strategies, body composition, cardio-vascular health, immunity, asthma, cancer and diabetes are evaluated. Supposed adverse effects such as oxidative stress, insulin resistance, irritation of intestinal tract and milk fat depression are also examined. It seems that no consistent result was observed even in similar studies conducted at different laboratories, this may be due to variations in age, gender, racial and geographical disparities, coupled with type and dose of CLA supplemented. Thus, supposed promising results reported in mechanistic and pre-clinical studies cannot be extrapolated with humans, mainly due to the lack of inconsistency in analyses, prolonged intervention studies, follow-up studies and international co-ordination of concerted studies. Briefly, clinical evidences accumulated thus far show that CLA is not eliciting significantly promising and consistent health effects so as to uphold it as neither a functional nor a medical food.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Division, Department of Botany, Enzyme Technology Laboratory, University of Calicut, Kerala, 673 635 India.
authors.forename: Sailas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Division, Department of Botany, Enzyme Technology Laboratory, University of Calicut, Kerala, 673 635 India.
authors.forename: Priji
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Prakasan
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Division, Department of Botany, Enzyme Technology Laboratory, University of Calicut, Kerala, 673 635 India.
authors.forename: Sajith
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sreedharan
authors.affiliation: School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA.
authors.forename: Andre-Denis G
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse 31, 8010 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spener
keywords: CLA; Clinical evidences; Conjugated linoleic acids; Review