CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID (CLA) AND BONE HEALTH: A REVIEW

Bone is a complex tissue influenced by many factors, including, but not limited to; nutrition, mechanical loading and hormones. Nutritional interventions have gained more interest as the incidence of fractures has grown, and is predicted to grow even more with the ageing population. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a family of fatty acids that have received considerable attention due to the many biological effects of the different geometric and positional isomers of this compound. Considerable research exists in cell culture and animal based models in regards to the influence of CLA on bone metabolism. Generally, most cell culture and animal models suggest a beneficial influence of CLA on bone health and metabolism. However, a gap exists in the literature with regards to the influence and efficacy of CLA on bone health in humans. This review summarizes the influence of CLA on cell culture models, animal models and human models of bone health and metabolism. Interestingly, the greatest influence of CLA in animal models appears to be in young growing animals, yet there have been no investigations into the influence of CLA on bone in young humans. Future studies should investigate the possible role in maximizing bone mass accrual during childhood and adolescence in humans.