A lean and toned physique depends on two factors – adding muscle and losing fat.
Would you believe that there is one supplement that can potentially deliver both benefits?
Well, if you haven’t already, it’s possibly time to include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in your supplement plan.
Know your CLA
CLA is a non-essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that comes in different forms, and falls into the broadly accepted ‘healthy’ fats category.
It is naturally present in small amounts in meat and it is found in certain dairy products. However, the quantities supplied from your diet generally aren’t sufficient to meet the levels that studies show can positively impact your body composition. Modern-day diets and food processing practices can further reduce the amount of CLA we consume.
Better body composition
That’s why supplements offer a convenient way to meet the recommended intake for better results.
Quality CLA supplements use advanced lipid technology to create convenient, easy-to-swallow soft gel capsules that enable precise CLA intakes at predetermined time intervals.
Results from animal studies indicate that CLA could be a super supplement, with emerging evidence from ongoing human trials that supports claims about CLA.
Based on the available research, the main ways that CLA supplements can help you achieve a better body include:
- Decreasing the amount of fat your body stores.
- Maintaining or preserving lean muscle by helping your body burn calories more efficiently.
Scientific support
Some short- and long-term studies that employed high CLA doses in healthy and obese, and sedentary and active adults have shown that CLA can help to reduce fat mass and increase lean body mass.
For instance, researchers concluded that supplementing with CLA and safflower oil “may be beneficial for weight loss, glycemic control, or both” based on the findings from a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
And several meta-analyses (studies that review findings from multiple studies) support the claim that CLA supplements could reduce body fat and improve lean body mass in certain individuals.
One such meta-analysis included a clinical study that suggested a positive association exists with CLA intake and fat reduction. Overweight and obese male and female volunteers who took 3.4-6.8g of CLA per day (an isomeric mixture of mainly 9- and 10-CLA) for 12 weeks reduced their body fat mass significantly.
How CLA enhances fat metabolism
CLA supplements that provide a free fatty acid mixture high in isomers (such as cis-9, trans-11, trans-10 and cis-12) help to mobilise stored fat so that the body can more easily burn it for energy.
CLA has been shown to inhibit the lipoprotein lipase enzyme, which plays an integral role in body fat storage.
As a result, when using a CLA supplement, fatty acids are seemingly diverted to muscle cells, where they are be preferentially burnt for fuel.
And CLA may also prevent fat accumulation by inhibiting enzyme action related to the fat storage process, which can improve body composition and toning.
Based on these actions within the body, coupled with study results, CLA is generally marketed as a stimulant-free body toner, which doesn’t have the stimulatory effects associated with thermogenic fat burners. This characteristic also means that CLA is an ideal product to use for prolonged period to assist with long-term body composition management.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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