Why evening primrose oil works
Evening primrose oil provides a pure dose of gamma
linoleic acid (GLA), which has few sources in nature. So here is the tale of
the brambly thicket in the Hormone Jungle known as "prostaglandins,"
hormone-like chemicals that have very short lives and very large local effects.
To make prostaglandins, you need essential fatty acids--"essential" because our bodies don't make them so we have to eat them. There are two kinds of essential fatty acids that are important here--omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. We need both kinds to be healthy. A lot has been written lately about omega 3 fatty acids, which come from fish, but omega 6's are even more important. The essential fatty acid in the omega 6 family is linoleic acid (LA). After we eat LA, an enzyme (delta 6 desaturase, for you biochemistry groupies) shows up and changes LA into a new form, GLA. That evolves into DGLA, which hovers in indecision, sniffing the bloodstream for omega 3 fatty acids. If it finds omega 3's, it becomes our hero, prostaglandin 1. If DGLA finds no omega 3's, it becomes arachidonic acid (AA), which becomes the villain--prostaglandin 2, which clots the blood, creates inflammation, makes stress reactions worse, and plays a role in causing endometriosis.(7, 10)
So, prostaglandin 1 is good because it prevents inflammation, stops cells from multiplying (as in endometriosis and cancer), and blocks prostaglandin 2 production(44). It also prevents blood clots, lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, fixes defective T-lymphocyte immune cells (important for cancer , allergies, and infections), and maintains salt and water balance, nerve conduction, and gastrointestinal function.(3, 5)
Doctors have thought this was interesting as biochemistry but irrelevant for patients because an average American eats 10 times more LA than needed.(44) We couldn't possibly be deficient.
Prostaglandin 1 constantly breaks down so it has to be replaced all the time.(4). Some people are born with limited ability to make the enzyme, some people don't give it the right kinds of fat to use, and some have a wide range of medical conditions that block it. evening primrose oil
To make prostaglandins, you need essential fatty acids--"essential" because our bodies don't make them so we have to eat them. There are two kinds of essential fatty acids that are important here--omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. We need both kinds to be healthy. A lot has been written lately about omega 3 fatty acids, which come from fish, but omega 6's are even more important. The essential fatty acid in the omega 6 family is linoleic acid (LA). After we eat LA, an enzyme (delta 6 desaturase, for you biochemistry groupies) shows up and changes LA into a new form, GLA. That evolves into DGLA, which hovers in indecision, sniffing the bloodstream for omega 3 fatty acids. If it finds omega 3's, it becomes our hero, prostaglandin 1. If DGLA finds no omega 3's, it becomes arachidonic acid (AA), which becomes the villain--prostaglandin 2, which clots the blood, creates inflammation, makes stress reactions worse, and plays a role in causing endometriosis.(7, 10)
So, prostaglandin 1 is good because it prevents inflammation, stops cells from multiplying (as in endometriosis and cancer), and blocks prostaglandin 2 production(44). It also prevents blood clots, lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, fixes defective T-lymphocyte immune cells (important for cancer , allergies, and infections), and maintains salt and water balance, nerve conduction, and gastrointestinal function.(3, 5)
Doctors have thought this was interesting as biochemistry but irrelevant for patients because an average American eats 10 times more LA than needed.(44) We couldn't possibly be deficient.
Prostaglandin 1 constantly breaks down so it has to be replaced all the time.(4). Some people are born with limited ability to make the enzyme, some people don't give it the right kinds of fat to use, and some have a wide range of medical conditions that block it. evening primrose oil
