| With our fat phobia and
the resultant barrage of low fat and non-fat food
products lining the grocery store aisles, a
recommendation to supplement your daily diet with one to
two tablespoons of essential fatty acid rich flax or borage
seed oil would appear to go against what you are
being told. To the contrary, this is exactly what health
conscious consumers are doing across the country, not
only to attain and maintain optimal health, but in many
instances, as a treatment for the over 60
health ailments the essential fatty acids have been
scientifically validated to benefit.
It is true Americans should not consume more than 20-30%
of daily calories as fats, a lack of the dietary
essential fatty acids has been suggested to facilitate
degenerative disease. Surveys indicate that at least 80%
of our population is deficient in the essential fatty
acids, this may present a serious health threat. Unfortunately, mass commercial refinement of fats and
oils products and foods containing them has effectively
eliminated the essential fatty acids from our food chain,
contributing to our modern day deficiency.
Nature's most potent concentration of GLA comes in the
form of borage seed oil (24%). A great deal of scientific
research has been conducted with supplements rich in GLA,
resulting in significant interest regarding the
aforementioned health ailments, as well as those affected
by pre-menstrual syndrome, benign breast disease, eczema, psoriasis, obesity, and
vascular
disorders.
The essential fatty acids combined here have proven to
impart a regulatory function on the body's fatty acid metabolism. Fat metabolism is as important, if not more
critical, than our body's metabolism of proteins and
carbohydrates as evidenced by the drastic rise in fat
related degenerative diseases, such as vascular disease
and strokes. Dietary essential fatty
acids common to borage seed oil are ultimately converted
to hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins,
and are important for the regulation of a host of bodily functions including:
o inflammation, swelling, & pain
o pressure in the eye, joints or blood vessels
o secretions from mucus membranes and their viscosity
o smooth muscle & autonomic reflexes,
gastrointestinal, arterial, ear, heart
o water retention
o blood clotting ability
o allergic response
o rheumatoid arthritis
o nerve transmission
o steroid production & hormone synthesis
Scientists continue to discover regulating effects of
prostaglandins. Without the essential fatty acids, the building blocks of prostaglandins, a malfunction of fat
metabolism is certain, as are problems in the regulation
of the above listed bodily functions.
For some individuals, flax seed oil may offer only half
of the solution. Those deficient in co-factor nutrients, specifically the vitamins pro-A, A, C, E, B2, B6,
pantothenic acid, B12, biotin, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and zinc, sometimes have
difficulty in converting the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic
acid, found in borage and other seed oils to the
healthful prostaglandins.
Still others are thought to lack the necessary enzyme
(catalyst) to make this conversion; particularly those afflicted with diabetes,
asthma, cystic fibrosis, multiple
sclerosis, alcoholism and the aged.
For those suffering from co-factor deficiencies, a broad
spectrum multi-vitamin and mineral may be recommended with, perhaps, an oil supplement rich in gamma-linolenic
acid (GLA). Individuals who may lack the proper enzyme
system would require a GLA supplement in addition to the
flax seed oil. Nature's most potent concentration of GLA
comes in the form of borage seed oil (24%).
When considering an essential fatty acid supplement and
deciding on either flax or borage seed oils, the most
sensible solution may be a formulation of the two. The
combination of both flax and borage seed oil provides nature's best of the omega-3
fatty acids in flax with the best of omega-6 fatty acids
in GLA rich borage oil. This option has now been made
available by a flax & borage oil product called Advanced
Omega (see above link)
Supplementation with flax seed & borage seed oils
makes good sense for the following reasons:
1. Omega-3 fatty acids and GLA together
on the production of beneficial prostaglandins.
2. Over 60 health problems have proven
to benefit from both flax seed and borage seed
supplements.
3. Flax seed oil combined with borage
seed oil work together for even better results.
4. Flax seed and borage seed oils
combined is less expensive than purchasing them
separately.
Conclusion :
The answer appears not to be no fat, but the right fat,
as common to flax and borage seed oils, to achieve
optimal health.
Past and present scientific research supports the use of
essential fatty acid nutrients in promoting optimal
health. Borage seed oil is recognized as nature's richest
source of GLA. These natural plant substances used alone
have created a great deal of interest in the treatment of
numerous health problems. Evidence exists to suggest the
combination of omega-3 fatty acids with gamma-linolenic
acid (GLA) may further complement the therapeutic result
of either fatty acid used singularly.
Other Borage Seed
Information:
Scientists at the University of
Pennsylvania have reported that high doses of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) were highly effective in
treating rheumatoid arthritis. An earlier study by the
same group had shown that administration of 1,100 mg. of
GLA per day from borage seed oil reduced synovitis in six
of seven patients with rheumatoid arthritis. GLA is
rapidly converted to dihomogamma-linolenic acid, the
immediate precursor of prostaglandin E1 which is a potent
anti-inflammatory agent. Nature's most
potent concentration (24%) of GLA comes in the form of
borage seed oil.
Other benefits of Borage Seed GLA include:
1.Vasodilation of blood vessels which can reduce high
blood pressure.
2.Reduction of abnormal blood clotting which can reduce
the risk of heart attack and stroke
3.Enhanced regulation of immune response, specifically a
reduction in autoimmune dysfunction, the underlying cause
of rheumatoid arthritis.
4.Enhanced defense against abnormal cell proliferation
which may prevent and even reverse some cancers.
5.Elimination of common skin disorder such as eczema.
6.Slowing of some aspects of normal aging.
Borage seed is also known as:
Common bugloss, Starflower, Borago officinalis
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