THE EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTATION WITH CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID ON BODY COMPOSITION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE SUBJECTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Background and Aim: The present study aimed to systematically review controlled clinical trials examining the effects of CLA on body composition in overweight and obese subjects.Methods: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science, and Cochrane databases were searched between 2000 and December 2017 with no language restriction. Placebo-controlled clinical trials that reported anthropometric indices and body composition in overweight and obese subjects were included. Random-effect model was used to pool the effect estimates. Results: Of 4032 publications, 13 trials were included for the meta-analysis. Pooled effect sizes indicated that CLA significantly reduced fat mass (WMD: -0.61 kg, 95% CI: -0.98, -0.24; I2: 53.8%, p=0.01) and increased lean body mass (WMD: 0.19 kg, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.34; I2: 81.4%, p=0.0001) compared to the placebo group. Conclusion: Supplementation with CLA can slightly reduce fat mass and increase lean body mass in overweight and obese subjects. However, its efficacy was not clinically considerable. Further studies with high methodological quality are needed to shed light on the effects of CLA on body composition in overweight and obese subjects.

Keywords:

CLA , body composition , obesity