NSTK · 01.2026Independent supplement reference

Edition 1.0Updated August 1, 2026

Supplement × Supplement·Evidence index

CLA and Fish Oil: what the published research says

PubMed indexes 7 records that name CLA and Fish Oil together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.

Reviews & meta-analyses

Read the studies ↓ How we select sources

Read this first

An evidence index, not guidance.

Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.

This page lists published research relevant to CLA and Fish Oil. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.

A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.

The research

7 studies naming CLA and Fish Oil.

Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.

Synthesis of acylglycerols from omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid isomers.

Biotechnology and applied biochemistry · 2006 · PMID 16008528

Comparative StudyAnimal study

“The molar ratio of glycerol to fatty acid was found to influence the initial rate of incorporation, with the lower ratios showing higher initial rates compared with the higher ratios. The present study shows that direct esterification is an effective mechanism for producing acylglycerols from fatty acids in a controlled system.”
Zuta et al. · From the abstract

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Dietary Supplementation with Fish Oil or Conjugated Linoleic Acid Relieves Depression Markers in Mice by Modulation of the Nrf2 Pathway.

Molecular nutrition & food research · 2019 · PMID 31398773

Animal study

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Effects of intermittent dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid and fish oil (EPA/DHA) on body metabolism and mitochondrial energetics in mice.

The Journal of nutritional biochemistry · 2018 · PMID 30041048

Animal study

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Conjugated linoleic acid or omega 3 fatty acids increase mitochondrial biosynthesis and metabolism in skeletal muscle cells.

Lipids in health and disease · 2012 · PMID 23107305

Human subjects

“Omega 3 fatty acids appear to enhance glycolytic, oxidative, and total metabolism. Moreover, both omega 3 and CLA treatment significantly increase mitochondrial content compared with control.”
Vaughan et al. · Authors' conclusion

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Lipid oxidation stability of omega-3- and conjugated linoleic acid-enriched sous vide chicken meat.

Poultry science · 2011 · PMID 21248346

Animal study

“In conclusion, dietary CLA, FSO, and MFO influenced the fatty acid composition of chicken muscle and the lipid oxidation stability of meat over the storage time. Supranutritional supplementation of vitamin E enhanced the lipid oxidation stability of sous vide chicken meat.”
Narciso-Gaytán et al. · From the abstract

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Combination of conjugated linoleic acid with fish oil prevents age-associated bone marrow adiposity in C57Bl/6J mice.

The Journal of nutritional biochemistry · 2011 · PMID 20656466

Research Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralAnimal study

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Dietary CLA and DHA modify skin properties in mice.

Lipids · 2003 · PMID 12934670

Animal study

“Electron microscopy revealed that the subcutaneous tissue layers in the CLA and DHA groups were significantly thinner than that in the high linoleic acid group, whereas no differences in the thickness of dermis layers were observed among the three groups. These results suggest that skin properties in mice are readily modified by dietary FA sources within 4 wk of dietary oil supplementation.”
Oikawa et al. · From the abstract

Names both CLA and Fish Oil in its title.

Limitations

What this evidence cannot tell you.

Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:

Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.

NutriStack

Track what you actually take.

NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers CLA, Fish Oil, and several hundred other substances.

The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.

Get NutriStack free → Read the methodology

NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.