There are so many supplements out there that promise you faster results with weight loss. Unfortunately, not all these supplements do everything they promise.
However, some of them can be quite effective alongside the right diet and exercise plan.
One of these supplements is CLA, and there are several studies to back up its ability to help lower body fat.
How effective is CLA though? Is it everything you need to make the progress you’ve been looking for?
That’s what I’m going to walk you through today. I’ll cover all the ins and outs of a CLA supplement to help you make the best decision for you and your goals.
What Is CLA?
CLA is an acronym that stands for conjugated linoleic acid.
Linoleic acid is the most common omega-6 fat, which is an essential fatty acid. Conjugated linoleic acid only differs in the placement of the double bonds in it.
We don’t need to get into organic chemistry here, but just know there are subtle differences.
To keep it simple, CLA is a version of a healthy essential fatty acid.
More specifically, it’s a naturally occurring trans fat. Don’t worry though, CLA isn’t the same as other trans fats.
You have probably heard about how trans fats can lead to some serious health problems. Not all trans fats are the same though.
The trans fats you’ve heard about are industrially produced to increase shelf life. Those trans fats can certainly have plenty of downsides.
On the other hand, natural trans fats can be beneficial and don’t cause the harm you hear about from other trans fats. CLA is one of them.
But, what benefits does CLA have to offer? How can a trans fat support your fitness goals?
What Are the Benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid?
So, what does CLA do for you?
Well, the main reason people take a CLA supplement is for weight loss. In fact, a study done over 1 year showed those who took CLA consistently lost more body fat (2).
Now, I don’t want to give the wrong impression. It’s not like it lit their metabolism on fire and they lost 50 pounds in a month. You shouldn't expect any supplement to do that much for you.
CLA can certainly help you lose a modest amount of body fat, though (3). Likely more than you would have lost without it, according to these studies.
So, as long as your diet and exercise plan are on par, taking a CLA supplement can help.
Strangely enough, the exact mechanism of how CLA can help isn’t that well understood.
Some researchers believe it may reduce fat storage while increasing fat breakdown. They also believe it’s plausible that it may affect calorie intake by affecting hormones related to appetite (4).
While we may not know exactly how it helps, many studies have been done on it. A lot of these studies show significant differences in those who take a CLA supplement vs those who take placebos too.
So, there can definitely be benefits to using a CLA supplement. You can even get those benefits from CLA in food too.
So let's take a look at some of the foods that naturally contain CLA.
What Foods Contain CLA?
So where does CLA come from?
Well, it didn’t start out as a CLA supplement. It was actually discovered in some of the food we eat.
More specifically, CLA is found in the meat and milk of cows, goats, and sheep.
Interestingly enough, CLA content is higher when those animals are grass-fed rather than grain-fed (1). So, buying meat and milk from grass-fed animals actually does change the nutritional content of what you’re eating.
The increased CLA content wasn’t small either. They found 500% more CLA in the milk of grass-fed cows than grain-fed ones (1).
It usually costs more for grass-fed meat though, unfortunately. It’s no different than how organic food is more expensive than non-organic.
It’s more desirable and costs more to produce. If you’re looking to get your CLA from food though, grass-fed is the way to go!
Obviously, not everyone has the access or the financial means to go this route, which is understandable. That's why another option to get CLA is through a CLA supplement.
They’re relatively inexpensive and can be pretty helpful.
What Are CLA Supplements?
It is possible to get all your CLA from food.
If you’re not getting enough, you can get some from a supplement too.
CLA supplements are generally made from safflower oil. They’re also made in a way that makes them nearly identical to the omega-6 fatty acids we get from beef or milk.
Technically, the fats in a CLA supplement aren't the exact same. The studies done with them, however, still show benefits for fat loss (5).
Why not just try to get all your CLA from food, though? Wouldn’t that make more sense?
Well, it’s not easy to get a ton of CLA from food alone. For instance, there is only about 6 mg of CLA per gram of fat in butter (6).
A full dose of a CLA supplement is about 3 grams per day. You’d have to eat 500 grams of fat to get 3 grams of CLA from butter.
That’s never going to happen realistically ... Plus, it certainly wouldn't be the best option for your overall health. It’s safe to say you’d likely gain fat if you actually did, and that defeats the purpose.
You could get a little more CLA from grass-fed meat though.
On average, you’d be looking at about 400-800 mg CLA per serving (7). So you’d have to eat 4-8 servings of grass-fed beef every single day to equal a CLA supplement.
That's still just not practical. So, when it comes to using CLA strategically for fat loss, a CLA supplement is my favorite way to go.
Who Should Take CLA Supplements?
As I mentioned earlier, most people looking to take a CLA supplement are doing so to help lose weight.
We’ve already covered how CLA supplements can provide weight loss benefits. So, if your goal is to lose weight, CLA supplements could be a good tool.
It won’t make you drop 10 pounds in a week, so don’t go into it expecting a miracle. CLA can, however, still help you lose weight faster than diet and exercise alone will (5).
Again, this is not instead of diet and exercise. You still have to do those things, but adding CLA could help you earn results more quickly.
Allow me to use a road trip as an example to explain this.
Let’s say you want to travel to a destination 1260 miles away. Let’s call this destination “your goal”.
Exercising and sticking to your diet is what gets your car driving at 60 mph. Throwing in a CLA supplement every day is like taking that speed up to 70 mph.
With diet and exercise alone, in this case, you’ll reach your goal in 21 hours. If you throw a CLA supplement into the mix, you’ll get there in 18 hours.
It’s going to be a long drive either way, but I’d much prefer to reach my destination 3 hours faster. I bet you would too!
If you don’t push yourself through the long drive, though, you’ll never make it there. You still have to get in the car and drive.
Getting results in fitness is no different. Nothing will take the place of hard work and get you results without it. NOTHING.
Certain things, like a CLA supplement, could just help you get there a little faster or easier.
Ready to Try CLA?
When anyone looks for a supplement, they’re looking for help. That’s what we do here at 1st Phorm, and every supplement we make is designed to help you.
Our CLA supplement is a great example of that. We formulated it with a full efficacious dose of conjugated linoleic acid to help you earn the results you’re looking for.
So if you're looking for a high-quality CLA supplement that could help support your fitness journey ... We've got you covered! You can check it out here.
But that's not all...
I've mentioned it a few times already, and I mean it when I say your diet and exercise are crucial. CLA, and really any other supplement, won't help you earn the results you want without the right plan in place.
That's another area we can help, and we're happy to as well!
In fact, we have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central.
We’re here to get you real and long-term results, and that’s exactly what we intend to do!
References:
(1) Dhiman TR, Anand GR, Satter LD, Pariza MW. Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets. J Dairy Sci. 1999 Oct;82(10):2146-56. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(99)75458-5. PMID: 10531600.
(2) Gaullier JM, Halse J, Høye K, Kristiansen K, Fagertun H, Vik H, Gudmundsen O. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;79(6):1118-25. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/79.6.1118. PMID: 15159244.
(3) Whigham LD, Watras AC, Schoeller DA. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 May;85(5):1203-11. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/85.5.1203. PMID: 17490954.
(4) Putera HD, Doewes RI, Shalaby MN, Ramírez-Coronel AA, Clayton ZS, Abdelbasset WK, Murtazaev SS, Jalil AT, Rahimi P, Nattagh-Eshtivani E, Malekahmadi M, Pahlavani N. The effect of conjugated linoleic acids on inflammation, oxidative stress, body composition and physical performance: a comprehensive review of putative molecular mechanisms. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2023 Aug 29;20(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12986-023-00758-9. PMID: 37644566; PMCID: PMC10466845.
(5) Liang CW, Cheng HY, Lee YH, Liou TH, Liao CD, Huang SW. Effects of conjugated linoleic acid and exercise on body composition and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2023 Mar 10;81(4):397-415. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac060. PMID: 36048508.
(6) Delahoy, James, and Larry Muller. “Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) in Animal Production and Human Health.” Penn State Extension, 3 Jan. 2023, extension.psu.edu/conjugated-linoleic-acid-cla-in-animal-production-and-human-health.
(7) Ranch, Rafter W. “7 Incredible Health Benefits of Grass Fed Beef: Rafter W Ranch: Colorado Grass Fed Beef, Lamb, Poultry, Produce.” Rafter W Ranch | Colorado Grass Fed Beef, Lamb, Poultry, Produce, 15 Feb. 2023, rafterwranch.net/health-benefits-of-grass-fed-beef/.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
