Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a slightly altered form of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid. Some studies, mostly in rodents, have shown that CLA could help reduce weight but others have shown conflicting results. The latest human study shows that a year treatment with CLA reduces body fat in overweight adults. It's possible that CLA could be effective as a weight loss supplement but I'm not yet totally convinced.
   A combination of hoodia, ginger, cinnamon, green tea extract, spirulina, acetylcarnitine, choline, guggul, 5htp, and several other herbs and nutrients, as found in Diet Rx, a very effective herbal diet pill for weight loss. Users of Diet Rx have lost several pounds within a week or two. Diet Rx does not have CLA.

Buy CLA supplement, 750 mg, 50 softgels - Club Natural

CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a recently recognized supplement. CLA is found naturally in a variety of foods, including dairy. CLA offers a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid to supplement the diet naturally.

Each capsule provides 750 mg CLA supplement.
Directions: Take 1, 2 or 3  CLA softgels daily or as recommended by your health care provider.

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Weight Loss options to consider, a number of dietary supplements are available
Caffeine is often found in weight loss pills but we high amounts of caffeine can cause increased heart rate and anxiety. Most people already consume enough caffeine through coffee, tea, sodas, and chocolate.
5-HTP is a nutrient that helps curb appetite in some individuals. You can buy 5-HTP here.
Alpha lipoic acid may also reduce appetite but it is primarily used as an antioxidant.

CLA supplement
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a recently recognized supplement derived from Safflower oil. Years of research at the University of Wisconsin indicate that CLA may help "partition" the way energy is stored and utilized which may result in a reduction of body fat and increased muscle retention. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is found naturally in a variety of foods. However, for many individuals changing dietary patterns may have diminished intake of those foods high in CLA.* CLA offers a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid to supplement the diet naturally.

CLA fatty acids
The term conjugated linoleic acid CLA refers to several conjugated dienoic isomers of linoleic acid, of which the trans-10,cis-12 isomer has been reported to reduce fat tissue and increase lean mass in mice and other animals. However, most dietary CLA in humans is obtained from dairy products, accounting for the cis-9,trans-11 CLA isomer, also known as rumenic acid, for more than 90% of the total CLA intake. Commercial CLA preparations industrially produced, containing trans-10,cis-12 and cis-9,trans-11 CLA isomers in diverse proportions, are attracting consumers' interest because of the purported body fat-lowering effects of CLA.

CLA side effects, risks, safety
No major side effects have been reported with this supplement.

CLA study
The effect of conjugated linoleic acid CLA supplementation after weight loss on body weight regain, body composition, and resting metabolic rate in overweight subjects.
Kamphuis MM, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Jul;27(7):840-7.
To study the effects of 13 weeks conjugated linoleic acid CLA supplementation in overweight subjects after weight loss on weight regain, body composition, resting metabolic rate, substrate oxidation, and blood plasma parameters. This study had a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized design. Subjects were first submitted to a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD 2.1 MJ/d) for 3 weeks after which they started with the 13-week intervention period. They either received 1.8 g CLA or placebo per day (low dosage, LD) or 3.6 g CLA or placebo per day (high dosage, HD). A total of 26 men and 28 women. Before VLCD, after VLCD but before CLA or placebo intervention and after 13-week CLA or placebo intervention, body weight, body composition (hydrodensitometry and deuterium dilution), resting metabolic rate, substrate oxidation, physical activity, and blood plasma parameters (glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol, free fatty acids, glycerol and beta-hydroxy butyrate) were measured. The VLCD significantly lowered body weight, percent body fat, fat mass, fat-free mass, resting metabolic rate, respiratory quotient and plasma glucose, insulin, and triacylglycerol concentrations, while free fatty acids, glycerol and beta-hydroxy butyrate concentrations were increased. Multiple regression analysis showed that at the end of the 13-week intervention, CLA did not affect %body weight regain. The regain of fat-free mass was increased by CLA compared to placebo, independent of %body weight regain and physical activity. As a consequence of an increased regain of fat-free mass by CLA, resting metabolic rate was increased by CLA compared to placebo. Substrate oxidation and blood plasma parameters were not affected by CLA. In conclusion, the regain of fat-free mass was favorably, dose-independently affected by a 13-week consumption of 1.8 or 3.6 g CLA/day and consequently increased the resting metabolic rate. However, it did not result in improved body weight maintenance after weight loss.

Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid causes isomer-dependent oxidative stress and elevated C-reactive protein: a potential link to fatty acid-induced insulin resistance.
Riserus U, Basu S, Circulation 2002 Oct 8;106(15):1925-9
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), a group of fatty acids shown to have beneficial effects in animals, are also used as weight loss supplements. Recently, we reported that the t10c12 CLA-isomer caused insulin resistance in abdominally obese men via unknown mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to examine whether CLA has isomer-specific effects on oxidative stress or inflammatory biomarkers and to investigate the relationship between these factors and induced insulin resistance. In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 60 men with metabolic syndrome were randomized to one of 3 groups receiving t10c12 CLA, a CLA mixture, or placebo for 12 weeks. Insulin sensitivity (euglycemic clamp), serum lipids, in vivo lipid peroxidation (determined as urinary 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) [F2-isoprostanes]), 15-ketodihydro PGF(2alpha), plasma vitamin E, plasma C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 were assessed before and after treatment. Supplementation with t10c12 CLA markedly increased 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) (578%) and C-reactive protein (110%) compared with placebo and independent of changes in hyperglycemia or dyslipidemia. The increases in 8-iso-PGF(2alpha), but not in C-reactive protein, were significantly and independently related to aggravated insulin resistance. Oxidative stress was related to increased vitamin E levels, suggesting a compensatory mechanism. CLA supplementation increases oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in obese men. The oxidative stress seems closely related to induced insulin resistance, suggesting a link between the fatty acid-induced lipid peroxidation seen in the present study and insulin resistance. These unfavorable effects of t10c12 CLA might be of clinical importance with regard to cardiovascular disease, in consideration of the widespread use of dietary supplements containing this fatty acid.

Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in humans--metabolic effects.
Smedman A, Vessby B. Lipids 2001 Aug;36(8):773-81
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Sweden
Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) induces a number of physiological effects in experimental animals, including reduced body fat content, decreased aortic lipid deposition, and improved serum lipid profile. Controlled trials on the effects of CLA in humans have hitherto been scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with CLA in healthy humans on anthropometric and metabolic variables and on the fatty acid composition of serum lipids and thrombocytes. Fifty-three healthy men and women, aged 23-63 yr, were randomly assigned to supplementation with CLA (4.2 g/d) or the same amount of olive oil during 12 wk in a double-blind fashion. The proportion of body fat decreased (-3.8%) in the CLA-treated group, with a significant difference from the control group. Body weight, body mass index, and sagittal abdominal diameter were unchanged. There were no major differences between the groups in serum lipoproteins, nonesterified fatty acids, plasma insulin, blood glucose, or plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). In the CLA group the proportions of stearic, docosatetraenoic, and docosapentaenoic acids increased in serum lipids and thrombocytes, while proportions of palmitic, oleic, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acids decreased, causing a decrease of the estimated delta-6 and delta-9 and an increase in the delta-5 desaturase activities. These results suggest that supplementation with CLA may reduce the proportion of body fat in humans and that CLA affects fatty acid metabolism. No effects on body weight, serum lipids, glucose metabolism, or PAI-1 were seen.

Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans
Jean-Michel Gaullier, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 79, No. 6, 1118-1125, June 2004
CLA may reduce body fat mass (BFM) and increase lean body mass (LBM), but the long-term effect of CLA was not examined. The objective of the study was to ascertain the 1-y effect of CLA on body composition and safety in healthy overweight adults consuming an ad libitum diet. Male and female volunteers (n = 180) with body mass indexes (in kg/m2) of 25–30 were included in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were randomly assigned to 3 groups: CLA -free fatty acid (FFA), CLA triacylglycerol, or placebo (olive oil). Results: Mean (± SD) BFM in the CLA-triacylglycerol and CLA - FFA groups was 8.7 ± 9% and 6.9 ± 9%, respectively, lower than that in the placebo group. Subjects receiving CLA - FFA had 1.8 ± 4.3% greater LBM than did subjects receiving placebo. These changes were not associated with diet or exercise. LDL increased in the CLA FFA group, HDL decreased in the CLA-triacylglycerol group, and lipoprotein(a) increased in both CLA groups compared with month 0. Fasting blood glucose concentrations remained unchanged in all 3 groups. Glycated hemoglobin rose in all groups from month 0 concentrations, but there was no significant difference between groups. Conclusion: Long-term supplementation with CLA - FFA or CLA - triacylglycerol reduces BFM in healthy overweight adults.

CLA pill questions
I was at one time taking CLA pills pretty regularly, but the more I research about it the more contradictory information I am getting. I have even come across articles which recommend not using CLA pills. I have currently not used CLA for over 3 months. However I would like to know your opinion about CLA and should it be used? Does it have any positive benefit? Can it be substituted for other supplements?
    We are not very impressed by CLA research thus far in September of 2009. There are more effective herbs for weight loss.

Is there a CLA study regarding the combination of this supplement with tribulus terrestris extract. I take the herbal extract a few times a week and wondering if CLA would cause any major side effects when used together.
   CLA supplements are not known to cause and major side effects, but we are not impressed with the claims that their use can lead to benefits of weight loss. We will update this page on additional conjugated linoleic acid cla research when they are published.

I'm a sixty two year old male, 192 in weight, started taking cla about half a month ago, to lose weight. I also go to a gym began in September of this year. Read an article about cla by Dr. Sahelian,  I feel CLA pills areb't what I should be taking after reading the cla article. I got this supplement pill from a company called NOW foods.
     Thus far we are not impressed by CLA as a supplement for weight loss. We await further research for more results to see whether CLA really works and whether it is worth the cost.

Are there any interactions between fish oils and CLA pills?
     Not that we know of.