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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 essential
fatty acids which 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:
Inflammation, swelling, & pain, Pressure in the eye, joints or blood vessels,
Secretions from mucus membranes and their viscosity, Smooth muscle & autonomic
reflexes, gastrointestinal, arterial, ear, heart, Water retention, Blood clotting ability,
Allergic response, Rheumatoid arthritis, Nerve transmission, 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 affflicted 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 yields a true Omega-Twin by providing nature's best of the
omega-3 fatty acids in flax with the best of omega-6 fatty acids in GLA rich borage oil.
Supplementation with flax seed & borage seed oils makes good sense for the following
reasons:
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Omega-3 fatty acids and GLA together on the production of beneficial prostaglandins
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Over 60 health problems have proven to benefit from both flax seed and borage seed
supplements.
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Flax seed oil combined with borage seed oil work together for even better results.
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Flax seed and borage seed oils combined is less expensive than purchasing them
separately.
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.
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