the metabolic effects of conjugated linoleic acids (cla) in chickens: a review

conjugated linoleic acids (cla) are natural constituents of meat and dairy products from ruminants, originating from bacterial biohydrogenation in the rumen. cla supplementation increases the health benefits of animal-derived foods. there are inconsistent reports of the effects of dietary cla on chicken’s performance; however, the majority of previous reports cite anti-lipogenic effects of cla. diets could be formulated to increase n-3 fatty acid (fa) concentration in chicken meat by feeding n-3 fas as a replacement for n-6 fa rich ingredients. off-flavors and the chances of oxidative deterioration during storage of meat have been attributed to highn-3 fa levels in poultry diets. an approach to increase the n-3 fa content and decrease the n-6/n-3 fas ratio in meat, using conjugated linoleic acid in diets, has been suggested. this review deals with the main topics of cla metabolic effects in chickens.