Can CLA deliver a double body comp benefit? We investigate…

We explain why adding a conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) product like Biogen CLA 3000 to your supplement stack could help you achieve a leaner physique.  

CLA is a non-essential polyunsaturated fatty acid, which falls into the broadly accepted ‘healthy’ fats category. It is naturally present in small amounts in meat (beef, lamb and mutton) and 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.

When aiming to increase your CLA intake, supplements offer a convenient way to meet the recommended intake and potentially benefit from 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 intervals. 

Supplements like Biogen CLA 3000 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 fatty acids for energy. 

Under normal circumstances, when dietary fat is not used for energy, it is stored in fat cells. The enzyme lipoprotein lipase plays an integral role in body fat storage and CLA has been shown to inhibit this enzyme. 

As a result, a CLA supplement diverts fatty acids to muscle cells, where they are preferentially metabolised for fuel¹. CLA may also prevent fat accumulation by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase enzyme activity², which impacts the fat storage process, potentially helping to improve body composition. 

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 periods to assist with long-term body composition management. 

Available scientific literature³ suggests that CLA (primarily the 10,12 CLA isomer) “consistently confers some degree of body weight and/or adiposity loss in animal models and humans.”

In this regard, a meta-analysis⁴ of 18 eligible studies determined that a 3.2 g/d CLA dose “produces a modest loss in body fat in humans.”

A clinical trial⁵ conducted in 2000 also established a positive association between 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. 

In another study⁶, subjects (obese individuals) who were supplemented with 4.2g per day of an isomeric mixture of 9- and 10- CLA for 4 weeks decreased their waist circumference, but their body weight and body mass index remained the same.

There is also scientific evidence to suggest that CLA may help to increase and preserve lean body mass⁷. This muscle-sparing effect helps improve body composition by maintaining metabolically active tissue when dieting or exercising, which supports your basal metabolic rate.

For instance, one study⁸ found that CLA preserved muscle mass in Chinese adults with elevated body fat regardless of their body mass index (BMI). However, based on the findings, the effects on muscle are potentially stronger in men, those with a lower BMI, or those with higher physical activity levels.

There are also various studies that support claims that CLA and other supplements like creatine, whey and L-carnitine work synergistically to enhance weight loss and improve body composition. 

In one study⁹, 6g of CLA taken with 5g of creatine monohydrate per day, in conjunction with resistance exercise for six months, enhanced strength gains and improved body composition in older male and female adults (above 65 years).

In another study¹⁰, a CLA supplement (6g/d) taken in combination with creatine (9g/d) and whey protein (36g/d) improved strength and lean body mass during heavy resistance training in well-trained young men and women (average age of 22.5). 

1. Lehnen TE, da Silva MR, Camacho A, Marcadenti A, Lehnen AM. A review on effects of conjugated linoleic fatty acid (CLA) upon body composition and energetic metabolism. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Sep 17;12:36. doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0097-4. PMID: 26388708; PMCID: PMC4574006.
2. Basak S, Duttaroy AK. Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Its Beneficial Effects in Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 28;12(7):1913. doi: 10.3390/nu12071913. PMID: 32605287; PMCID: PMC7401241.
3. Den Hartigh LJ. Conjugated Linoleic Acid Effects on Cancer, Obesity, and Atherosclerosis: A Review of Pre-Clinical and Human Trials with Current Perspectives. Nutrients. 2019 Feb 11;11(2):370. doi: 10.3390/nu11020370. PMID: 30754681; PMCID: PMC6413010.
4. 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.
5. Blankson H, Stakkestad JA, Fagertun H, Thom E, Wadstein J, Gudmundsen O. Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat mass in overweight and obese humans. J Nutr. 2000;130(12):2943–8. doi: 10.1093/jn/130.12.2943. 
6. 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.
7. Kim Y, Kim J, Whang KY, Park Y. Impact of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism. Lipids. 2016 Feb;51(2):159-78. doi: 10.1007/s11745-015-4115-8. Epub 2016 Jan 4. PMID: 26729488.
8. Huan Chang, Wei Gan, Xia Liao, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid supplements preserve muscle in high-body-fat adults: A double-blind, randomized, placebo trial, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 30, Issue 10, 2020, Pages 1777-1784, ISSN 0939-4753,
   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2020.05.029.
9. Tarnopolsky M, Zimmer A, Paikin J, Safdar A, Aboud A, Pearce E, Roy B, Doherty T. Creatine monohydrate and conjugated linoleic acid improve strength and body composition following resistance exercise in older adults. PLoS One. 2007 Oct 3;2(10):e991. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000991. PMID: 17912368; PMCID: PMC1994592.
10. Cornish SM, Candow DG, Jantz NT, Chilibeck PD, Little JP, Forbes S, Abeysekara S, Zello GA. Conjugated linoleic acid combined with creatine monohydrate and whey protein supplementation during strength training. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2009 Feb;19(1):79-96. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.19.1.79. PMID: 19403955.