ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION In 1979, Pariza described the anticarcinogenic property of a compound later identified as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (1,2). This term actually refers to a family of naturally occurring isomers of linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) with conjugated double bonds mainly on carbons 9 and 11, or I 0 and 12, which are primarily found in ruminant meat and milk. Since its discovery, a number of animal studies have demonstrated other properties of CLA, including antiatherogenic (3), immunomodulating, and antiinflammatory properties (4,5).
