Conjugated fatty acid

Conjugated fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids in which at least one pair of double bonds is separated by only one single bond. The conjugation implies four consecutive unsaturated links (i.e., CH rather than CH2 groups), and results in a delocalization of electrons along the double-bonded carbons. An example of a conjugated fatty acid is the rumenic acid, found in the meat and milk of ruminants.
Some conjugated fatty acids may confer health benefits ranging from the prevention of hypertension to protection against certain forms of cancer, although more research is needed to confirm such effects. Clinical studies and animal models have shown that conjugated fatty acids confer physiological benefits such as the regulation of the synthesis and breakdown of lipids, reduction of inflammation, and antioxidant properties.
Conjugated fatty acids have different groups, and one of them is the conjugated linoleic acid isomers. Conjugated linoleic acids are the most investigated conjugated fatty acids. The reason why the isomer of conjugated fatty acids are studied is because they have the potential to treat human illnesses. A biological activity that conjugated fatty acids have been studied for is the reduction of body fat and the increasing of lean body mass. There are experimental models that proved the ability of conjugated linoleic acid to reduce fat levels. This is why the scientific community see the potential to use conjugated fatty acids with active treatments to prevent obesity. However, research studies made in humans are in disagreement even though these studies have proven that the supplementation of conjugated linoleic acid has some benefits such as weight loss. On top of the research on conjugated linoleic acid on body weight regulation, isomers of conjugated linoleic acid has been shown, in-vitro, to inhibit the growth and division of a cell to two daughter cells, initiate cell death, and interfere with mutagenicity in human tumor cells.
Conjugated fatty acids can have either a "cis" or "trans" configuration. For instance, the rumenic acid (cis9, trans11) is a conjugated trans fatty acid.