{{Short description|Class of fatty acids}} [[File:Rumenic acid.svg|thumb|right|Chemical structure of the conjugated fatty acid rumenic acid, an isomer of conjugated linoleic acid]] '''Conjugated fatty acids''' is jargon for polyunsaturated fatty acids containing at least one pair of conjugated double bonds.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Richa|last1=Rawat|first2=Xiao-Hong|last2=Yu|first3=Marie|last3=Sweet|first4=John|last4=Shanklin|title=Conjugated Fatty Acid Synthesis|journal=Journal of Biological Chemistry|volume=287|issue=20|pages=16230–16237|date=26 March 2012|doi=10.1074/jbc.M111.325316|pmid=22451660|pmc=3351362|doi-access=free}}</ref> An example of a conjugated fatty acid is the rumenic acid, found in the meat and milk of ruminants. Most unsaturated fatty acids that are doubly unsaturated do not feature conjugation, e.g., linoleic acid and linoelaidic acid.
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.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Conjugated fatty acids in food and their health benefits.|last1=Nagao |first1=K|last2=Yanagita |first2=T|journal=Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering|pmid=16198256|volume=100|issue=2|pages=152–7 |year=2005 |doi=10.1263/jbb.100.152 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=gong>{{Cite journal|date=2019-12-01|title=Production of conjugated fatty acids: A review of recent advances|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0734975019301545|journal=Biotechnology Advances|language=en|volume=37|issue=8|article-number=107454|doi=10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107454|issn=0734-9750|last1=Gong|first1=Mengyue|last2=Hu|first2=Yulin|last3=Wei|first3=Wei|last4=Jin|first4=Qingzhe|last5=Wang|first5=Xingguo|pmid=31639444|s2cid=204849936|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Some conjugated fatty acids feature ''trans'' alkenes. For instance, the rumenic acid (''cis''-9, ''trans''-11) is a conjugated trans fatty acid. Conjugated ''trans'' fatty acids are exempt from trans fat labeling in the United States.<ref name="21CFR101_9_c_ii">{{cite web |title=21 CFR 101.9(c)(2)(ii) |url=https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-101#p-101.9(c)(2)(ii) |website=eCFR.gov |quote=“Trans fat” or “Trans”: A statement of the number of grams of trans fat in a serving, defined as the sum of all unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more isolated (i.e., nonconjugated) double bonds in a trans configuration}}</ref>
The most investigated conjugated fatty acids are conjugated analogues (isomers) of linoleic acid,<ref name=gong /> called conjugated linoleic acids (CLA).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Hennessy|first1=Alan A.|last2=Ross|first2=Paul R.|last3=Fitzgerald|first3=Gerald F.|last4=Stanton|first4=Catherine|date=April 2016|title=Sources and Bioactive Properties of Conjugated Dietary Fatty Acids|journal=Lipids|language=en|volume=51|issue=4|pages=377–397|doi=10.1007/s11745-016-4135-z|pmid=26968402|s2cid=3941392|issn=0024-4201}}</ref> Studies have suggested that CLAs can modulate inflammatory responses in the body.<ref name=Park09>{{Cite journal |last=Park |first=Yeonhwa |date=January 2009 |title=Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): Good or bad trans fat? |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0889157509000210 |journal=Journal of Food Composition and Analysis |language=en |volume=22 |pages=S4–S12 |doi=10.1016/j.jfca.2008.12.002|url-access=subscription }}</ref> However, CLA's anti-inflammatory properties correlate to isomer dependence.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Yuan |first1=Gaofeng |last2=Chen |first2=Xiaoe |last3=Li |first3=Duo |date=2015-02-25 |title=Modulation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma (PPAR γ) by Conjugated Fatty Acid in Obesity and Inflammatory Bowel Disease |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf505050c |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |language=en |volume=63 |issue=7 |pages=1883–1895 |doi=10.1021/jf505050c |pmid=25634802 |issn=0021-8561|url-access=subscription }}</ref> For instance, (''cis''-9, ''trans''-11) CLA has been shown to have a decreased inflammatory effect on adipose tissues of mice with obesity-causing genes, while (''trans''-10, ''cis''-12) CLA reduces obesity in mice without affecting insulin resistance or adipose tissue inflammation.<ref name=":3" />
==See also== *Polyunsaturated fatty acids
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conjugated Fatty Acid}} Category:Fatty acids