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NOW Foods CLA 800 mg Softgels: Pure Conjugated Linoleic Acid for Lean Muscle & Healthy Body Composition
Scientifically Curated & Reviewed by Darrell Miller, Natural Health Specialist & Founder of VitaNet, LLC (31+ Years in Dietary Supplementation)[cite: 1]
NOW® CLA 800 mg delivers pure, plant-sourced Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) derived entirely from cold-filtered, non-GMO safflower seed oil (Carthamus tinctorius). While CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid historically obtained from pasture-fed beef and whole dairy, modern industrial farming and grain-fed feedlot practices have reduced the natural levels of CLA found in everyday foods by up to 60% to 75%. Supplemental CLA provides a concentrated, reliable source of active fatty acid isomers designed to assist in healthy body composition management, metabolic efficiency, and lean muscle mass preservation without caffeine or stimulant jitters.
Each easy-to-swallow softgel supplies 800 mg of active CLA isomers per 1,000 mg of non-GMO safflower oil. When taken at the suggested daily serving of 3 softgels (2,400 mg active CLA), this formula helps support your fitness, resistance training, and calorie-conscious wellness regimen.
- ✓ Stimulant-Free Metabolic Support: Promotes cellular fat breakdown without increasing heart rate, elevating blood pressure, or causing evening sleeplessness.
- ✓ 100% Non-GMO Safflower Oil Source: Pure botanical origin expeller-extracted from safflower seeds, avoiding animal-rendered fats.
- ✓ Preserves Lean Muscle Mass: Helps ensure weight loss efforts target stubborn fat stores rather than metabolically active skeletal muscle tissue.
- ✓ ISO 17025 Certified Testing: Verified for exact active isomer content and screened for heavy metals, microbial pathogens, and solvent residues.
How CLA Works in the Body: The Cellular Mechanism of Action
Conjugated Linoleic Acid does not work like traditional thermogenic "fat burners" that artificially speed up your central nervous system. Instead, CLA alters cellular fat metabolism through two distinct biological enzymes:
- Inhibits Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) to Block Fat Uptake: LPL is an enzyme produced by the body that acts like a cellular storage gatekeeper. It breaks down circulating fats in your bloodstream so they can enter fat cells (adipocytes) and be stored as body fat. Peer-reviewed clinical research demonstrates that the active trans-10, cis-12 isomer of CLA reduces the activity of LPL, significantly reducing the amount of dietary fat that fat cells are able to absorb and store.
- Stimulates Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase (CPT-1) to Burn Stored Fat: CPT-1 is the rate-limiting enzyme that acts as a conveyor belt, shuttling fatty acids into your cell mitochondria—the microscopic energy furnaces of your body. By upregulating CPT-1 activity, CLA speeds up the rate at which skeletal muscle and liver tissue consume stored fatty acids for usable energy during exercise and daily physical activity.
- Regulates PPAR-Gamma Signaling: CLA modulates Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs), nuclear receptors that control fat cell differentiation and fat storage pathways, helping maintain insulin-sensitive, healthy fat tissue.
Authoritative Clinical Evidence & Study Citations
The body composition effects of conjugated linoleic acid have been evaluated in numerous double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trials:
- • Fat Mass Reduction & Lean Preservation: A landmark 6-month randomized controlled trial published in the British Journal of Nutrition demonstrated that daily supplementation with CLA significantly decreased body fat mass (BFM) in specific regional deposits (including the abdomen and hips) while safely maintaining or increasing lean muscle mass compared to placebo (Gaullier et al., 2007, PMID: 17313718).
- • Human Clinical Meta-Analysis: A systematic meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated 18 randomized clinical trials in humans. The researchers concluded that a daily intake of 3.2 grams of CLA produces a steady, statistically significant loss of adipose body fat mass over time without adverse cardiovascular impacts (Whigham, Watras, & Schoeller, 2007, PMID: 17490954).
- • Dose-Dependent Body Composition Shifts: Research published in the Journal of Nutrition verified that supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid across 12 weeks generated a measurable reduction in body fat mass in overweight individuals while protecting nitrogen balance and resting metabolic rate (Blankson et al., 2000, PMID: 11110851; Steck et al., 2007, PMID: 17449581).
Complete Supplement Facts & Ingredient Integrity
Formula verified directly against NOW Foods master manufacturing specifications for Item SKU: 1727 (90 Softgels) and Item SKU: 1728 (180 Softgels). Every softgel contains 800 mg of Conjugated Linoleic Acid standardized from non-GMO safflower oil.
| Supplement Facts | Serving Size: 3 Softgels |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Container: 30 (90ct) or 60 (180ct) | |
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value* |
| Calories | 25 |
| Total Fat | 3 g (4%*) |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3 g † |
| Non-GMO Safflower Oil (Seed) | 3 g (3,000 mg) † |
| Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) | 2.4 g (2,400 mg) † |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.
Other Ingredients:
Softgel Capsule [bovine gelatin (BSE-free), glycerin, water, organic caramel color].
Allergen & Manufacturing Disclosures:
Free From Common Allergens: Not manufactured with yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, or sesame ingredients. Produced in an audited GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens.
Dietary Classifications: Non-GMO Project Verified Raw Material, Halal, Kosher (Triangle K - Contains Gelatin), Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free, Corn-Free, and Made Without Gluten.
NOW Foods Rigorous Lab Testing & Contaminant Constraints
When shopping for delicate fatty acid supplements like CLA, oil purity and oxidation control are critical health parameters. NOW Foods operates one of the most comprehensive private analytical testing laboratories in North America, maintaining an in-house footprint of over 100,000 square feet and conducting more than 19,000 separate analytical tests every single month.
1. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accredited In-House Laboratories
NOW's internal testing facilities are accredited to the international ISO/IEC 17025 standard—the exact standard utilized by government and independent university reference labs. This ensures complete data integrity, precision calibration, and repeatable testing validity for every batch produced.
2. Heavy Metal Screening via ICP-MS (Parts-Per-Billion Limits)
Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), NOW screens every incoming raw material lot for toxic heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury). Their internal specification constraints are routinely stricter than federal FDA guidelines and comply with stringent California Proposition 65 thresholds, detecting trace elemental toxins down to single parts per billion (ppb).
3. Gas Chromatography (GC-FID) Isomer & Solvent Verification
To ensure efficacy, NOW utilizes Gas Chromatography to verify the biologically active 50:50 ratio of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA isomers. Gas Chromatography also confirms the complete absence of volatile chemical extraction solvents, such as hexane, ensuring pure expeller mechanics.