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Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA)
Gamma-linolenic acid: Abbreviated GLA. An essential polyunsaturated fatty acid contained in some plant seed oils including evening primrose oil, black currant oil, and borage oil. GLA has been used for a number of different disorders. Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid, is effective in killing cancer cells and is well-established as a topical treatment for some types of cancer, such as bladder cancer. Also, it has been shown to kill various other types of cancer cells. Additional research has suggested that GLA-containing essential fatty acids taken from evening primrose, blackcurrant and borage seed oils are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Health conscious people have been consuming a lot of borage oil to obtain GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), the parent of the biologically active DGLA (di-homo-gamma-linolenic acid). Life Extension has added 10 milligrams of sesame lignans to each capsule of Mega GLA borage oil. Sesame lignans not only increase beneficial DGLA, but they also help control pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid, which decreases the formation of destructive prostaglandin E2 and leukotriene B4.1 A deficiency of GLA cause eczema. A supplement be required for those whose fat and oil intake is significantly restricted. Some chemicals that are found in this supplement include: fatty acids found in: evening primrose (a plant), fish, human mother’s milk, and Spirulina (blue-green algae). How This Supplement Works in Your Body:
How to Use: Swallow whole with a full glass of liquid. Do not chew or crush. Take with or 1 to 1-1/2 hours after meals unless otherwise advised by your physician. Available as: Capsule Cautions: Don’t take if you:
Consult your doctor if you: Experience any illnesses.
Pregnancy:
Breastfeeding:
Infants and Children:
Storage:
Safe dosage:
Toxicity: Fat Supplement GLA with Fish Oil Lowers Cholesterol in Women Elevated cholesterol, and possibly inflammation, plays a role in causing heart disease. Inflammatory prostaglandins from white blood cells and platelets are synthesized from arachidonic acid (AA). Antiinflammatory products are generated from the omega-6 precursor fatty acid dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), the product of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) elongation. Many studies have shown that supplementing the diet with fish oils enriched in omega-3 fats EPA and DHA tend to reduce triglycerides and increase HDL (good) cholesterol concentrations. However, studies have gotten mixed results regarding its effect on LDL (bad) cholesterol and few studies have examined the effects of adding fat supplement GLA to omega-3 fat supplements. In a new study involving 31 women, researchers compared the effects of EPA and DHA supplementation (4 grams) by itself to that of EPA and DHA with GLA supplementation (1 or 2 grams). The combination of EPA, DHA and GLA tended to reduce LDL cholesterol by about 12 percent. A combination of a 4:2 ratio of the supplements (4 g EPA and DHA, 2 g GLA) resulted in an average of a 15 percent decrease in non-HDL cholesterol concentrations, which translates to an over 40 percent decrease in heart disease risk. American Journal Clinical Nutrition January 2003;77:37-42The Miracle Fat for Eczema--GLA It is thought that essential fatty acids (EFAs) play a role in the development of atopic disease. Linoleic acid (LA), part of the n-6 EFA series, is derived from food and subsequently converted into gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and longer-chain polyenes (LCPs) such as dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and arachidonic acid (AA). Although LCPs of the n-3 EFA series can be derived from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the major source of n-3 LCPs is food. Studies have found higher concentrations of LA and lower concentrations of LCPs in the blood of patients with atopic dermatitis (eczema). Additionally, newborns with a family history of atopic disease have been found to have lower concentrations of n-6 LCP in umbilical cord blood prior to developing atopic disease (AD). Researchers suggest that this may be due to a reduced conversion of LA into GLA and subsequent LCPs, possibly as a result of impaired activity of the enzyme linoleoyl-CoA desaturase (delta6-desaturase). Further, other studies showed that breast milk from mothers whose infants subsequently developed AD contained less n-6 LCP than milk from mothers of unaffected infants. Recently, some brands of infant formula are being enriched with LCPs, such as GLA. Prior to this, infant formulas, unlike breast milk, contained only LA and ALA as EFAs. Several studies have looked at whether GLA supplementation in patients with AD could reduce the severity of existing eczema, however results have been inconsistent. An additional study has found a possible role of GLA in the prevention of atopy in early life. Researchers based their suggestion on several observations: mothers of atopic infants have lower concentrations of n-6 LCP in their breast milk than mothers of non-atopic infants; the amount of EFAs in newborns is dependent on their supply while in utero and later on diet of either breast milk or infant formula; and infants who have atopic symptoms at 1 year of age have significantly lower mean concentrations of n-6 LCPs in umbilical cord blood and in serum at 1 months and 3 months of age than infants with no atopic symptoms. Moreover, prostaglandins derived from n-6 LCPs are thought to play a role in the maturation of the immune system. Since the conversion of LA to GLA is thought to affect the rate of the total chain of conversions, supplementation with GLA in infancy might compensate for the lower n-6 LCP concentrations and therefore prevent atopy or decrease its severity in infants, especially if the mother is predisposed to AD. Among four trials, which investigated whether GLA supplementation protects against the development of atopy in formula-fed infants with atopic mothers, one showed that GLA supplementation reduced the severity of eczema compared with a placebo. According to researchers, the results show an effect of GLA on the severity of AD, which indicates that GLA supplementation has a beneficial effect on the inflammatory component of AD. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition April, 2003;77(4):943-51 (Free Full Text Article)Evening Primrose Oil for Eczema Questioned It was announced in the ‘80s that researchers found evening primrose oil (contains 8 percent to 10 percent of gamma linolenic acid) to help prevent certain side effects of eczema. However, now in 2003 research has resulted in conflicting results with this oil. Fifteen studies were conducted, 10 dealing with evening primrose oil and five with borage oil, which contains higher concentrations of GLA, and were summarized in a review of atopic dermatitis (eczema) treatments. Researchers found the studies did not show convincing evidence of any benefit. To try and prove the notion that GLA works only when given in high doses, researchers conducted a study on 151 people with atopic dermatitis. Again they found no statistically significant benefit, which resulted in UK’s Medicines Control Agency’s decision to withdraw the product license. British Medical Journal December 13, 2003 (Full Text Article)
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