Conjugated nonadecadienoic acid is more potent than conjugated linoleic acid on body fat reduction

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has shown a number of health benefits, particularly on controlling body fat while improving lean mass. As one of CLA cognates, conjugated nonadecadienoic acid (CNA, 19-carbon conjugated fatty acid) has been previously reported to have greater efficacy on body fat control. In this report, we compared the efficacy of dietary CLA and CNA on body fat regulation and also compared the mechanism of body fat control using a mouse model. Effects of 0.1% dietary CNA on body fat reduction were comparable to that of 0.5% dietary CLA. The mechanisms of dietary CNA on body fat control were similar to those of CLA: increased energy expenditure and increased fatty acid β-oxidation. Dietary CNA, but not CLA, also improved expression of hormone-sensitive lipase from white adipose tissue, and this may help explain how CNA has better efficacy on body fat control than CLA. Dietary CNA had similar effects as CLA on liver weights; however, unlike CLA, CNA improved glucose tolerance. Thus, CNA has potential to be used as a pharmacological agent to assist current efforts to reduce obesity with less adverse effects than CLA.