Dieting & Borage Oil

Borage oil comes from the borage plant, which grows in Europe and North America.

Borage oil has one of the highest known concentrations of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) of any food. The body doesn't make omega-6 fatty acids, and so the diet serves as the only source.

Function

Substances in borage oil help regulate the body's metabolism, and may reduce inflammation, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Reducing inflammation may help you keep weight off while dieting.

Balance

A healthy diet requires a balanced ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. You can ingest omega-3s from eating fish, for example. Traditional dietary sources of omega-6 include vegetable oils, however that type tends to promote inflammation.

Types

Different types of omega-6 fats act differently, depending upon the byproduct produced. Omega-6s from vegetable oil, for example, form linoleic acid, which can promote inflammation. The type in borage oil, on the other hand, mostly converts to another substance that reduces inflammation.

Benefits

Researchers from the University of California, Davis found that borage oil helped people fresh from a significant weight loss keep the weight off. In the study, "formerly obese" people took five grams every day of borage oil for almost three years, and researchers concluded that the fatty acids can help people keep lost weight from returning.

References

• Diet Spotlight: Borage Oil Review
• Nutriline: Borage Oil
• Pub Med: Gamma-linolenate Reduces Weight Gain in Formerly Obese Humans
• University of Maryland Medical Center: Gamma-linolenic Acid