Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which occurs in milk and meat as a result of
microbial biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, has attracted much attention as a
novel type of biologically beneficial functional lipid because of its numerous health benefits,
which include anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and anticarcinogenic effects. CLA formation
from linoleic acid (LA) by rumen bacteria has been well documented since the early 1960s;
more recently it was found that certain bacteria that naturally inhabit the human