The benefits of supplementing with CLA

We all know how slow fat loss can be and how stubborn weight can be to move sometimes. There is of course no magic pill and diet alone is often not enough to really get your weight shifting so we resort to supplementing our diet with all sorts of fat burners and thermogenics. One of the best (and worst) known is CLA which boasts the benefit of aiding fat loss but few know exactly what it is, how and why it works, nor the best ways to use CLA supplements.

CLA is a trans fat!

You’ve probably seen trans fat and taken a gasp. Trans fats are often demonised as the worst fat that a person could possibly consume but what if there was a trans fat with properties that aid fat loss? Enter CLA. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is considered as a good trans fat given that is not an industrially processed trans fat. CLA is a particular trans fat which boasts fat metabolising and nutrient partitioning properties and is found naturally in dairy and beef products but also made as CLA capsules through oils high in linoleic acid. Additionally it contains omega-6 fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties much like that of omega-3 fatty acids. CLA also acts as a fat stopper that can help you both accelerate fat loss as well as enhance lean muscle gains. But how and why is that possible?

Why using CLA for weight loss works

It isn’t always as simple as expending more calories than what you eat given that fat needs to be transported into mitochondria to be used as fuel. Fat doesn’t easily transport into mitochondria in the muscle but CLA supplements taken in the form of CLA capsules can aid the amount of fat transported to be used in mitochondria as energy by a way of nutrient partitioning. It does so through its inhibiting effect on the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL). LPL would usually take up fat from your bloodstream to be stored as body fat, but instead through the effects of using CLA for weight loss, fat is encouraged to be used as fuel within the mitochondria in working muscles. With this, you could expect to see muscle and strength gains as well as an enhanced rate of body fat loss. This is because holding onto more muscle tissue means that your body is more able to burn fat as your metabolic rate will be higher. When used in conjunction with a calorie deficit and exercise, the effects of using CLA for weight loss are greater.

How should you be using CLA for weight loss?

Evidence suggests that the optimal dosage when using CLA for weight loss should be 1-3g worth of CLA capsules per day however as for safe use of all supplements, always check the nutrition label for instructions before using. The Protein World Premium CLA should be taken as a single capsule twice per day with water. But you want to maximise the effects of those two CLA capsules per day, right? Eating at a calorie deficit will help you to  drop your body weight whilst the CLA capsules accelerate the rate of loss. Expert advice suggests that consuming your CLA capsules 30 minutes prior to food is the optimal time for best results.

What about enhancing your results when using CLA for weight loss?

PLOS One’s conclusion to their study conducted on CLA indicated that when used with a high protein, low calorie diet, weight loss was accelerated when compared with those using diet only. With the addition of exercises for fat loss, multivitamins and a thermogenic effect, you’re onto a winning combination. Given that CLA has muscle gain benefits, it would also be advised to consider resistance training which follows progressive overload principles. This will increase your lean muscle mass and therefore your basal metabolic rate.

There are no shortcuts in fat loss but there certainly are accelerators

CLA capsules are no magic pill. There are no such things. Evidence does however show positive effects from this special trans fat on muscle gain, therefore on increases in basal metabolic rate as well as fat loss particularly when coupled with the work that you put in on your diet and training. So, when using CLA for weight loss it is best to take 1-3g per day, 30 minutes prior to meals in the form of CLA capsules and to couple its usage with a calorie deficit and resistance training.

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