Why You Need to Take Borage Oil Supplements

Borage Seed Oil is the second of the "four most important diet supplements," which are: Fish Oil, Borage Seed Oil, Green Tea and Magnesium. These four products correct major deficiencies in the average American's diet.

Together with a balanced diet that follows our Level1diet.com Food Guide Football program, Borage Seed Oil can lead to significant improvements in health. They include dramatic weight loss when needed, and imrovement or reversal of major diseases. The benefits stem from reductions in low-level inflammation. Then, less inflammation leads to lower insulin resistance. For a detailed discussion of the inflammatory health cycle, read our article "The 3 Levels of Health: How Infection & Today's High Sugar/Starch, High Fat Diet Leads to a Cycle of Increasing Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Low Metabolism, Obesity and Major Diseases".

How Borage Seed Oil Improves Your Health

Borage oil contains an essential fatty acid called GLA that your body does not make efficiently for itself..

The GLA or gamma linolenic acid, is easy converted into DGLA or dihomagamma linolenic acid.

From DHLA, the body rapidly makes PGE-1 or Series-1 Prostaglandins. These PGE-1 molecules are about 1/2 of your inflammation-fighting capability. Without them, you have a persistent tendancy toward inflammation, which often leads to insulin resistance, obesity and many deadly diseases.

Common Diseases Associated with Chronic Low-Level Inflammation or Insulin Resistance Syndrome**

• Acanthosis Nigricans
• Acne Vulgaris
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Atherosclerosis
• Bipolar Disorder
• Breast Cancer
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Cataracts
• Cervical Cancer
• Childhood Type-2 Diabetes
• Chronic Fatigue
• Colon & Rectal Cancer
• Cushing's Syndrome
• Dandruff
• Depression
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Dyslipidemia
• Fatty Liver Disease
• Graves Disease
• Heart Disease
• High LDL Cholesterol
• High Triglycerides
• Hirsutism
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypothyroidism
• Inflammation
• Kidney Disease
• Low HDL Cholesterol
• Lupus
• Neuropathy
• Neuritis
• Osteoporosis
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Parkinson Disease
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Prostate Cancer
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Scleroderma
• Seborrhea
• Strokes
• Varicose Veins

GLA -- Gamma Linolenic Acid

The three best sources of GLA are Borage Seed Oil, Black Currant Oil, and Evening Primrose Oil. Borage Seed Oil (usually about 24% GLA) contains about 5% more GLA than Black Currant Oils, and more than twice as much GLA per capsule as Evening Primrose Oil (which usually contains about 10% GLA).

As a result of its high percentage of GLA, when you take Borage Seed Oil, you end up taking less of the undesirable Omega-6 (lenoleic acid) vegetable oils. Omega-6 oils are most of the remainder of the oil contained in each of the supplements.

GLA is the immediate precursor to your body's production of PGE-1 or Prostaglandin Series 1, which is vital to the body's ability to handle blood lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides, and amounts to about 1/2 of your total inflammation fighting arsenal.

We recommend Borage Seed Oil instead of black currant or evening primrose oils for most people, because it is easier to take to get the needed amount of GLA than the other sources. However, many studies have also supported somewhat larger daily doses of Evening Primrose Oil. There may be some support for taking primrose oil, especially for diabetics. This issue is still being studied. If you choose to take the evening primrose oil, remember that you will need to take about 2-3 times as much compared to borage oil products.

Two Ways Delta-6 Deficiency Happens

1. Inherited Problem Making Delta-6 Enzyme

Extra Thymidine Molecule1 in D6D-Making Gene - This or similar genetic mutations may be a major cause underlying inherited types of cardiovascular, diabetic, cancerous, insulin resistant, and/or inflammation associated diseases.43 The frequency of this kind of mutation is still being investigated. However, since inflammatory and insulin resistant conditions add up to 73% of all fatal diseases annually, any significant contributing factor to inflammation or insulin resistance is a very serious matter.

2. Dietary or Disease & Lifestyle Factors Producing Functional Delta-6 Deficiency

When people without inherited deficiencies do in fact make enough Delta-6, the enzyme can be blocked from being utilized by many factors relating to their diet, disease, and substance abuse or other lifestyle, behavior or habits. (See "Hypoglycemia and Essential Fatty Acids", Hypoglycemic Association Newsletter, September, 1996, Pgs. 7-13.)

Lifestyle and Other Factors That May Block D6D Functionality

1. Foods rich in saturated fats such as wholemilk and certain milk proteins (peptides)
2. Foods rich in cholesterol like red meat, shell fish, dairy, milk and eggs
3. Trans-fatty acids used in margarines, processed foods and candies
4. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol
5. Low levels of zinc, magnesium, vitamins B6 or B3, and vitamin C (transport mechanism may be faulty in diabetes) from eating processed, refined foods
6. Alcohol - more than 8-ounces of wine daily, or equivalent in beer or whisky
7. Allergies and other atopic conditions such eczema
8. High blood sugar in diabetes & hypoglycemics
9. Excessive circulating insulin levels, from insulin resistance
10. Advancing Age
11. Viral infections: Influenza, Pneumonia, Hepatitis, HIV, etc.
12. Cancer, Tuberculosis
13. Many Drug Interactions, such as lithium, phenytoin, aspirin, other NSAIDS and steroids
14. Extremely large amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids, usually found in vegetable oils from seeds such as soybeans, corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, and many other cooking or salad oils, which are now common in the American diet
15. Extremely large amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids (whether from fish oil or flaxseed oil)

How D6D Functional Deficiency Develops

In many individuals, the ability to manufacture or use the vital enzyme Delta-6 Desaturase (D6D) is seriously degraded.

(1) In some cases, it appears that a simple mutation of a gene that controls the expression or manufacture of D6D happens in at least some people.1 One way this happens is that a single thymidine molecule is inserted into the D6D making gene, which results in a decrease of 80-90% in the amount of delta6 desaturase produced. This person will become very inflammed, and as years go by, they will likely suffer from cancer, heart disease and many other serious ailments.

(2) In other people who do not have such genetic problems, dietary and environmental factors block the utilization of D6D. Factors include diet habits such as high alcohol use, trans-fatty acids from margarines and other foods, animal fats from red meats, milk, cancer, certain infections such as tuberculosis.

If you don't have enough D6D enzyme, you can't ever make enough GLA out of Linoleic Acids from Omega-6 vegetable oils like safflower, corn oil, etc., and therefore the Omega-6 fats you eat become Arachidonic Acid (AA) instead of GLA.

This advances metabolic disease and insulin resistance. As a result, the Lenoleic Omega-6 fats you eat cannot be converted into the "good" prostaglandins that fight inflammation and control cholesterol and obesity. You get obese, develop high blood pressure, high LDL-C cholesterol, high triglycerides, low HDL-C, etc.

Some scientists have suggested that a simple D6D deficiency due to genetic or dietary factors is the major underlying cause of most metabolic disease, including most heart disease, cancers, diabetes and other insulin resistant, inflammatory diseases. As a result, they recommend supplementation of the diet with direct sources of GLA that do not need D6D for conversion. GLA from Borage Seed Oil or Evening Primrose oil enables the body to produce Prostaglandin series 1, which can help reverse existing or developing metabolic diseases related to insulin resistance.*

Best Gamma Linolenic Acid Sources

The best sources of GLA are

1. Borage Seed Oil (24%)
2. Black Currant Oil (19%)
3. Evening Primrose Oil (9%)

As you can see, Borage Seed Oil contains just a bit more GLA than does Black Currant Oil, and almost 2-1/2 times as much GLA as Evening Primrose Oil. If you want to take fewer pills, take Borage Seed Oil.

The cost per pill is usually about the same, but you may want to shop around. We've found a month's supply of Borage Seed Oil, which is about (60) 1,200mg capsules containing 300mg of GLA per capsule, usually costs between $10-$15.

Brands we like include Now Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Twin Labs, and Life Extension Foundation. Life Extension's includes Sesame Seed Lignans, which are an added benefit due to their power to limit the delta-5 desaturase conversion of GLA into AA arachidonic acid and the resulting increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines. See our page on Sesame Seed Lignans for more information.

How Much Borage Seed Oil GLA Gamma Linolenic Acid Should You Take per Day?

Take at least 2 large 1,000 to 1,200mg capsules of Borage Seed Oil per day, one in the morning and evening. Ensure that each capsule contains at least 245mg of the GLA active ingredient. A small amount of Vitamin-E should also be listed on the label to prevent possible oxidation of the vital fatty acid ingredients during storage.

Very sick, obese or people with high levels of C-Reactive Protein should consider taking up to double the regular daily dose of GLA.

Safety Issues

Borage seed oil is generally considered safe. You should be concerned about its freshness, and always refrigerate it after opening. Look for brands with a small amount of Vitamin-E added to the capsule as a preservative.

Borage oil acts moderately as an anti-clotting agent or blood thinner. While usually considered advantageous, its anti-clotting actions may add to the thinning power of other blood thinners if you are takng them.

As always, we recommend you consult your doctor or other health care professional before adding this or any other supplement to your diet. You may want to print this page to show to your phsician, dietitian or other authorized health professional, as many will not have had time to read this much detail on the subject due to their busy schedules.*

Scientific Research Supporting Gamma Lenolenic Acid (GLA) Supplementation

For a discussion of GLA supplementation and its role in helping control or improve metabolic, insulin resistant or inflammatory disease do a Google search for a PDF report written by Jur Plesmon in the Hypoglycemic Health Association Newsletter, September, 1996 called "Hypoglycemia and Essential Fatty Acids".

References

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