Borage oil is pressed from the seeds of the plant Borago officinalis. The seed oil of this particular species of the Boraginacese family contains the highest known concentrations of Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). Borage oil can contain up to 26% GLA, which means it is the most cost effective GLA source.
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Borage oil can contain up to 26% GLA, which means it is the most cost effective GLA source. GLA is of the omega-6 class of essential fatty acids (EFA). EFA’s are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them. In humans, GLA can be produced from Linoleic Acid (LA). LA is usually ingested in the diet from food sources such as nuts, seeds and whole grains. The delta 6 desaturase enzyme is responsible for converting the ingested LA into GLA. This conversion is greatly rate-limited by the enzyme itself. The conversion may be further inhibited by aging, smoking and/or alcohol ingestion. Diets high in saturated fat, sugar or cholesterol result in depressed enzyme activity as well. The stress hormones epinephrine, glucagon and adrenocorticotropic hormone all decrease or inhibit desaturase activity. Unnatural, trans fatty acids, abundant in many processed foods, also competitively inhibit the function of this desaturase. As well, availability of the nutrients magnesium, zinc, niacin, vitamin B6 and/or vitamin C impact desaturase modulation. GLA plays a crucial role in the areas of: brain function, normal growth and development of the skin and hair, maintaining bone health, regulating metabolism and maintaining the reproductive system. However, one of the most important functions of GLA is its conversion into the series one prostaglandins (PGE1). The prostaglandins are signaling molecules that exert enormous influence on a number of essential physiologic processes. PGE1 is involved in these processes: relaxation of smooth muscle, decreasing platelet aggregation, enhancing mucin production in the stomach for protection, inhibiting tumor growth, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, stabilizing red blood cell membranes, and preventing the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes, thus decreasing the amount of inflammatory substrate available.
Clinical Research
Clinical Research suggests that (GLA) is useful as nutritional support in patients being treated for high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, eczema, allergy, rheumatoid arthritis, hyper-cholesterolemia, cirrhosis, premenstrual syndrome, cystic fibrosis and schizophrenia.
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