NOW CLA Extreme Review

CLA Extreme by NOW Foods, is a fairly simple diet pill formulated by a company known for making simple and inexpensive herbal products.  If you’ve never heard of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid), it is a chemical which is generally found in meats and cheese that has been shown in some studies to promote modest fat loss.  NOW Foods is promoting it as an effective and safe way to lose weight and boost energy. While you may notice a slight increase in energy, neither we nor the scientists who study it would expect you to see much weight loss from long-term use of NOW CLA Extreme.

NOW CLA Extreme Ingredients

Each bottle of CLA Extreme contains 90 capsules with 3 to be taken every day.  Each capsule contains:

  • Vitamin E – 10 mcg (33% DV)
  • Chromium (from Chromium Picolinate) – 100 mcg (83% DV)
  • Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) – 750 mg
  • L-Carnitine (“L-Carnipure”) – 100 mg
  • Guarana (Paullinia cupana extract with 15 mg of Caffeine) – 75 mg
  • Green Tea (Camellia sinensis extract containing 40% Polyphenols, 30% Catechins, 2 mg caffeine) – 50 mg

A 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at eighteen reputable studies done on CLA supplementation with relation to weight loss and found that over the course of several months, a statistically significant increase in weight loss was seen compared to placebo when 3.2 grams of CLA was consumed per day.

Want to guess how much the increase was?  Less than 1/5 of a pound.  So, given that you’d be taking 2.25 grams per day with CLA Extreme for maybe a month, you can expect to lose….okay, so practically nothing? While there may be other health benefits to CLA supplementation and you may see a slight benefit from the antioxidants, there just isn’t any reason to get excited about this formula. It’s safe, but not potent.

NOW CLA Extreme Marketing

NOW Foods explains that that CLA Extreme “combines the benefits that active people are seeking with the proven effectiveness of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)…The effectiveness of CLA Extreme will not diminish over time; there is no need to cycle off the product. CLA Extreme will work best for those who exercise regularly, follow a sensible diet and take the product consistently.”

Now there’s the key: it will work for those who exercise regularly and follow a sensible diet. As if that’s not hard enough to do anyway. This is a good way of excusing this diet pill from not providing any noticeable potency.

NOW CLA Extreme Price

We’ve seen various retail prices listed for CLA Extreme with about $32 being the highest. However, you can find it online for as low as $12.20 plus shipping.  The fact that the price can vary that much just goes to show how over-priced CLA Extreme was to begin with.

NOW CLA Extreme Guarantee

As NOW CLA Extreme is not sold directly from NOW Foods, the company doesn’t offer any sort of satisfaction guarantee.  Depending on where you buy it, you should be able to return unopened bottles for a refund, but don’t expect to try this diet pill risk free.

NOW CLA Extreme Conclusion

Based on the science behind the use of CLA, we are convinced that it does in fact help with weight loss to a small degree, given the right dosage over time.  However, NOW CLA Extreme doesn’t even include the right dosage to make this happen. As diet pill goes, CLA Extreme is on the safe side, but it is too stingy on the ingredients and too variable in price to trust with your weight loss goals.