| Description: GLA (gamma-linolenic acid)is an omega-6 fatty acid, and is one of the two main types of essential fatty acids. These are "good" fats that are as essential for your health. The body uses essential fatty acids to make various substances called prostaglandins and leukotrienes which influence inflammation and pain; some of them increase symptoms, while others decrease them. Taking GLA may swing the balance over to the more favorable prostaglandins such as prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). PGE1 acts as an anti-inflammatory, a blood thinner, and a blood vessel dilator.1
GLA has anti-cancer activity in test tube studies1 and in some animal studies.2 Both Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) and Gamma Linolenic Acid reduce the severity and frequency of migraines by over 75%.3 Many women have noticed that Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms ease and worsen in relation to their menstrual cycle. Taking Evening Primrose Oil or another supplementary form of gamma linolenic acid (the active ingredient in Evening Primrose Oil) may help ease these symptoms.4
Sources: Evening Primrose Oil, black currant seed oil, and borage oil.
Useful in treatment of:
Cyclic mastalgia is breast pain that cycles with the menstrual period.5-8 GLA is widely used for this purpose in Europe and is gaining acceptance in North America.
PMS symptoms have been treated with GLA in the form of Evening Primrose all, with a modest amount of evidence for its effect.9 Diabetic neuropathy, a burning pain caused by nerve damage, may benefit from supplementation with GLA.10,11
Other uses such as eczema, Raynaud’s phenomenon, Irritable bowel syndrome, and arthritis have equivocal evidence form benefit.
Recommended Dosage: 200 to 540 mg daily.
Contraindications: There are no known contraindications to GLA, but the maximal safe dose has not been clearly established.
References:
1Dippneaar N, Booyens J, Fabbri D, Katzeff IE. The reversibility of cancer: evidence that malignancy in melanoma cells is gamma linolenic acid deficiency-dependent. S Afr Med J 1982;62:505–9.
2Pritchard GA, Mansel RE. The effects of essential fatty acids on the growth of breast cancer and melanoma. In Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids: Pathophysiology and Roles in Clinical Medicine, ed. DF Horrobin. New York: Alan R Liss, 1990, 379–90.
3Wagner W, Nootbaar-Wagner U. Prophylactic treatment of migraine with gamma-linolenic and alpha-linolenic acids. Cephalalgia 1997 Apr;17(2):127-30.
4Cotterell CJ, Lee AJ, Hunter JO. Double-blind cross-over trial of evening primrose oil in women with menstrually-related irritable bowel syndrome. In Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids: Pathophysiology and roles in clinical medicine, Alan R Liss, New York, 1990; 421–6.
5Pye JK, Mansel RE, and Hughes LE. Clinical experience of drug treatments for mastalgia. Lancet 2: 373–377, 1985.
6Pashby NL, Mansel RE, Hughes LE, Hanslip J, and Preece PE. A clinical trial of evening primrose oil in mastalgia. Br J Surg 68: 801, 1981.
7Mansel RE, et al. Effect and tolerability of n-6 essential fatty acid supplementation in patients with recurrent breast cysts—a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Nutr Med 1: 195–200, 1990.
8Mansel RE, et al. A randomized trial of dietary intervention with essential fatty acids in patients with categorized cysts. Ann N Y Acad Sci 586: 288–294, 1990.
9Budeiri D, et al. Is evening primrose oil of value in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome? Control Clin Trials 17: 60–68, 1996.
10Keen H, Payan J, Allawi J, et al. Treatment of diabetic neuropathy with gamma-linolenic acid. The Gamma-Linolenic Acid Multicenter Trial Group. Diabet Care 16: 8–15, 1993.
11Jamal GA and Carmichael H. The effect of gamma-linolenic acid on human diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Diabet Med 7: 319–323, 1990. |
