GLA (gamma linolenic acid)
Good source of GLA is Evening Primrose and Borage Oil. GLA is another invaluable supplement in our quest to slow down aging and reverse deterioration. Before you rush out and buy GLA supplements there is something I need to explain. The body can make its own GLA from linoleic acid. I realize you’re probably thinking, if this is the case why buy GLA supplements?
Everything needs to be in good working order and we need all the necessary nutrients in the right amounts, then we can convert linoleic acid into GLA. In reality our systems are struggling and most people are deficient in most nutrients. This means the process of conversion is blocked, hampered or slowed down.
What has a negative effect on this conversion?
nutritional deficiencies
diet high in meat and dairy products
diet high in hydrogenated fats – margarine and shortening (in hundreds of products)
alcohol – more than moderate amounts
sugar consumption – 90% of people really have no idea quite how much sugar they eat.
Take GLA in the form of Borage Oil or Evening Primrose Oil and change your eating habits. Taking omega-3 supplements has a synergistic affect making them together even more effective at protecting us from aging and deterioration. Without GLA we can’t produce or manufacture eicosanoid prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) the body’s best natural defences against premature aging, heart disease, Cancer, arthritis, allergies, asthma, auto-immune diseases.
Delta-6-desaturase is an enzyme that converts the abundant omega-6 into GLA. Many people lack enough D6D (deficiency comes from a diet high in refined and processed fats and sugars plus alcohol). A lack of this enzyme can make conditions worse like: diabetes and it complications, hypothyroidism, viral infection, cancer, immune weakness, high cholesterol, arthritis, MS, PMS, dryness, and obesity
The enzyme needs enough Vitamin C, vitamin B6, zinc, and magnesium.