ABSTRACT
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been studied extensively as a cancer preventative agent. Its effects on other degenerative diseases, such as atherosclerosis have received relatively little attention, and that mainly from our laboratory. The fact that CLA can positively alter the course of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits and hamsters has been established. Understanding the mechanism of action will depend upon knowledge gained by more thorough analysis of serum components and perhaps by chemical analysis of the growing and regressing lesion. The mechanisms whereby CLA inhibits atherogenesis and affects progression of established lesions are moot. Hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor for heart disease in humans and is associated with atherosclerosis in experimental animals. Atherosclerosis has been shown to be a very complex process starting with an inflammatory condition. The data show that dietary CLA has the potential to inhibit cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis or sudanophilia in rabbits and hamsters, respectively.
