Does CLA burn fat?

Does CLA really help you lose weight?

CLA is one of the best-known weight loss supplements, and over the years, it remains on the shelves, with many people swearing by the fact that it works.

But, does it really work?

First of all, CLA is an acronym, which in Portuguese means Conjugated Linoleic Acid, and basically, it is a fat that you can find in various foods such as meat or milk.

After demonstrating that it was really effective in animals, interest naturally arose in its application in humans, and whether or not it would have the same results.

It didn't take long for supplement companies to promote CLA as the wonder supplement that destroys fat and increases muscle mass.

Unfortunately, in reality it is not quite like that.

We will only investigate the effects of CLA on weight and fat loss, and you will find the references for all the studies used here at the end of the article.

It works

Chinese population

In 2012, a study was carried out to evaluate the effect of CLA supplementation on weight and fat loss in people of Chinese nationality.

63 individuals participated, with a body mass index between 24 and 35 and were separated into two groups.

One of the groups received 1.7g of CLA mixed with 200ml of milk, twice a day, while the other group received vegetable oil instead of CLA also with 200ml of milk, twice a day.

The study lasted 12 weeks and none of the participants knew which of the mixtures they were using.

The group that used vegetable oil lost an average of 0.07kg of fat, while the group that used CLA lost an average of 0.69kg at the end of the 12 weeks.

There were no changes in lean mass.

The results were apparently more positive in women than in men.

2.6% less with the CLA

After passing through China, we now go to Sweden, where a study was carried out in 2001 to evaluate the effectiveness of CLA.

53 healthy people, both men and women, between 23 and 63 years old were selected and were subsequently separated into two groups.

One of the groups received a supplement of 4.2g of CLA per day, while the other group received 4.2g of olive oil.

Both groups lost fat.

However, the group that used CLA, at the end of the 12-week study, lost an average of 2.6% more fat than the group that did not use CLA.

CLA in children

In 2010, a group of researchers decided to analyze the effects of CLA on overweight or obese children.

The study lasted approximately 7 months, and 62 children between 6 and 10 years old, who were overweight or considered obese, were selected.

Once again two groups were created, in which one group received 3g of CLA mixed in chocolate milk, and the other group received chocolate milk, but without the CLA.

None of the children knew which group they were in.

While the group that used only milk increased their body mass index by 1.1%, the group that had the addition of CLA had a lower increase, of approximately 0.65%.

It was also noted that the group that used supplementation had a lower increase in fat, mainly in the abdominal area.

90 days of CLA in women

For this study, 40 women diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were selected, and for 90 days, two groups were created, in which one received 3g of CLA daily and the other group did not.

Furthermore, all participants followed a low-calorie diet.

At the end of the study, women who used CLA lost an average of 2.3% of body fat, while the group that did not take the supplement lost an average of 1.2%.

The effects on fat loss began earlier in the supplemented group than in the non-supplemented group.

Does not work

CLA + Chromium

This study evaluated the results of combining CLA with the supplement Chromium, also often used for fat loss.

35 overweight women, with a BMI of approximately 28, and approximately 36 years old, were selected.

The study lasted 12 weeks and in addition to supplementation, these women also followed a low-calorie diet and had to walk at a moderate intensity or run lightly for 30 minutes, five times a week.

Two groups were created, the only difference being that one of them ingested 400ug of chromium with 1.8g of CLA, and the other ingested only vegetable oil.

Both groups lost weight and fat, but there were no significant differences between them.

1 year of CLA

In 2006 they decided to carry out a longer study and evaluate the effects of CLA over a period of one year.

Unlike the other studies we have presented so far, this one did not focus on fat loss, but rather on another of the supposed benefits of this supplement, prevent people who have lost fat from gaining it back.

122 obese individuals were selected, with a BMI greater than 28, and to test this hypothesis, these people followed a low-calorie diet with a caloric deficit of between 800 and 1000kcal, without CLA.

After eight weeks, the group was reduced to only those participants who lost more than 8% of their initial weight, which reduced the group to 101 people, and ended this fat loss phase.

These 101 people were then separated into two groups, one of which received 3.4g of CLA daily for a year, and the other group 3.4g of olive oil to serve as a comparison.

The calorie restriction at this stage dropped to just 300 kcal, and the final results were not very encouraging.

The group that used CLA increased their weight by an average of 4.8kg at the end of a year, and fat gains averaged 3.5kg.

In the group that used olive oil, the weight gain was an average of 4.5kg and the increase in fat was 3.8kg.

CLA + Exercise

This study was presented this year, and evaluated the impact of this type of supplementation on fat loss in combination with exercise in women considered obese.

28 women were selected, and for 8 weeks, half of them received 3.2g of CLA per day and the other half 4g of olive oil. Both groups followed the same aerobic exercise protocol.

As expected, both groups showed positive results.

The group that used CLA lost 1% of trunk fat, 1% of leg fat and 1.7% of total fat.

The group that instead of using this supplement, received olive oil, lost 0.5% of trunk fat, 1.6% of leg fat and 1.3% of total fat.

In other words, in total the difference was 0.4% between groups, a non-significant result.

Healthy and active people

Finally, in 2007 a study was presented that analyzed the effects of this supplement on people who exercise and with a body weight considered normal.

For this, 25 men and 37 women who met these requirements were selected and separated into two groups.

One of the groups received 3.9g of CLA and the second group received 3.9g of sunflower oil for 12 weeks.

The conclusion was that this supplement had no significant impact on body composition, appetite or metabolic rate.

Conclusion

What conclusion can we draw from here?

There are only eight studies, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn, but apparently, CLA is far from being a consensual supplement like, for example, Creatine.

On the one hand, there are studies with favorable results, but the numbers are not impressive, and apparently the effect is very modest. when it works.

On the other hand, there are studies that demonstrate that there is not even any benefit in using CLA for the purpose of fat loss, with similar results to those who did not use this type of supplementation.

In practice, it is very difficult to assess the effectiveness of CLA, as it is usually combined with a low-calorie diet and exercise, which in itself leads to fat loss.

Furthermore, unlike most thermogenics, where an immediate response is noticed due to the stimulating effect, CLA does not have that type of effect.

It doesn't seem like a very promising supplement for fat loss, but if you've already tried it, tell us your experience in the comments.

[toggle title=?References? state=?close? ]

Chinese population

Chen SC, Lin YH, Huang HP, Hsu WL, Houng JY, Huang CK. Effect of conjugatedlinoleic acid supplementation on weight loss and body fat composition in a Chinese population. Nutrition. 2012 May;28(5):559-65.

2.6% more

Smedman A, Vessby B. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation inhumans?metabolic effects. Lipids. 2001 Aug;36(8):773-81.

CLA in children

Racine NM, Watras AC, Carrel AL, Allen DB, McVean JJ, Clark RR, O'Brien AR, O'Shea M, Scott CE, Schoeller DA. Effect of conjugated linoleic acid on body fat accretion in overweight or obese children. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010May;91(5):1157-64.

90 days of CLA in women

Carvalho RF, Uehara SK, Rosa G. Microencapsulated conjugated linoleic acid associated with hypocaloric diet reduces body fat in sedentary women with metabolic syndrome. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2012;8:661-7.

CLA + Chromium

Diaz ML, Watkins BA, Li Y, Anderson RA, Campbell WW. Chromium picolinate and conjugated linoleic acid do not synergistically influence diet- and exercise-induced changes in body composition and health indices in overweight women. J Nutr Biochem. 2008 Jan;19(1):61-8.

1 year of CLA

Larsen TM, Toubro S, Gudmundsen O, Astrup A. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y does not prevent weight or body fat regain. Am J ClinNutr. 2006 Mar;83(3):606-12.

CLA + Exercise

Ribeiro AS, Pina FL, Dodero SR, Silva DR, Schoenfeld BJ, Sugihara Júnior P,Fernandes RR, Barbosa DS, Cyrino ES, Tirapegui J. Effect of Conjugated LinoleicAcid Associated With Aerobic Exercise on Body Fat and Lipid Profile in ObeseWomen: A Randomized , Double-Blinded, and Placebo-Controlled Trial. Int J SportNutr Exerc Metab. 2016 Apr;26(2):135-44.

Healthy and active people

Lambert EV, Goedecke JH, Bluett K, Heggie K, Claassen A, Rae DE, West S, DugasJ, Dugas L, Meltzeri S, Charlton K, Mohede I. Conjugated linoleic acid versus high-oleic acid sunflower oil: effects on energy metabolism, glucose tolerance, blood lipids, appetite and body composition in regularly exercising individuals. Br J Nutr. 2007 May;97(5):1001-11.

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