2. How does GLA supplementation help?
Modern diet consists of an excess of 'bad' fats. Research shows that we eat ten times more saturated fat and hundreds of times more trans-fatty acids than prehistoric humans did. Bad fats, consumed in such quantities, impair body mechanisms that regulate inflammation, blood pressure, and blood clotting. To restore the balance, 'good fat' supplementation with Borage Oil helps. GLA supplementation reduces inflammation, helps regulate blood pressure and helps prevent blood clotting. GLA may also have some anti-cancerous effects and may play a role in the prevention of some cancers, such as cancer of the stomach and bladder.

Other fatty acids that are essential for good health include Alpha Linolenic Acid, or ALA (found in Flax Oil), and EPA and DHA (found in Fish Oils). These fats also play a very important role in regulating some of the most basic body functions on a minute-to-minute basis. A balance of all these fats is as important to good health as other essential vitamins and minerals.

3. How does Borage Oil alleviate Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Studies done in the last 15 years indicate that dietary supplementation with GLA reduces the clinical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. GLA reduces pain and joint stiffness and decreases the number of affected joints. Supplementation with GLA often allows a patient to reduce their dosage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Furthermore, animal studies show that GLA protects the stomach lining against gastric acid, reducing the side effects of prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDs, such as aspirin. GLA is therefore useful in conjunction with conventional arthritis medications.

Studies
One of the most recent studies was done at the University of Massachusetts in 1996. Patients received oil that contained 2.8 grams of GLA daily for 12 months (the equivalent of about 11 grams of Borage Oil). Patients experienced significant improvements in their symptoms within the first six months of the study and continued to improve during the remaining six months.

In the fall of 1999, further research was completed at Boston's Shriner's Hospital for Children demonstrating that GLA is also effective in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Usage of GLA for arthritis is recommended by The Arthritis Foundation in their 1999 Guide to Alternative Therapies .

4. How does Borage oil aid Skin Health?
GLA helps skin to reduce dryness and keep it healthy, supple, and young-looking. In the last 20 years, researchers have discovered that eczema may be linked to a deficiency of GLA. Trials with GLA supplementation have demonstrated a strongly positive effect.

Studies
In 1997, researchers at the University of Italy conducted a 12-week study in which patients receiving Borage Oil experienced significant reduction in all their symptoms. By the end of the study itching decreased about 90%. Improvements were also seen in vesicle formation, patchy redness of the skin, and oozing of wounds.

Many case studies indicate that supplementation with Borage Oil may also improve symptoms of psoriasis.

5. How does Borage oil affect Diabetic Neuropathy?
Between 60% and 70% of diabetics have some form of neuropathy ( nerve damage caused by a prolonged imbalance in blood glucose levels). Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy include numbness and sometimes pain in the hands, feet, or legs. Nerve damage can also affect internal organs such as the digestive tract, heart and sexual organs, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, dizziness and bladder infection. Neuropathy can also lead to impotence, which afflicts approximately 9% of all diabetic men. In severe forms, neuropathy can lead to lower limb amputations. Conventional medicine offers no satisfactory treatment for diabetic neuropathy. However, in the last 20 years, clinical research has demonstrated that supplementation with GLA is an important factor contributing to
prevention and improvement of neuropathy.

Studies
Between 1993 and 1997 two multicenter trials, involving more than 400 patients in all, measured the effects of GLA supplementation in neuropathy. The researchers measured 16 parameters of neurological function including nerve conduction strength and speed, ability to feel temperature, sensitivity to touch, reflexes, and muscle strength. After a full year of treatment, patients receiving GLA had experienced significant improvements while the placebo group had continued to deteriorate.

6. How does Borage oil affect Cardiovascular Disease?
GLA has been shown to help correct blood cholesterol levels, and may interfere with the growth of atherosclerotic plaque, one of the leading causes of heart disease. GLA also helps to lower stress-related blood pressure.

Studies
Cholesterol:
In 1994, a Chilean placebo-controlled human clinical study demonstrated the positive effects of GLA on blood cholesterol. The study included 12 men with increased levels of LDL ("bad cholesterol") and with a known family history of premature coronary artery disease. The patients received 240 mg of GLA per day. After two months of supplementation, the average LDL-cholesterol level in the treatment group fell to 125 mg/dl of blood. At the same time, the average blood level of the beneficial HDL-cholesterol ("good cholesterol") increased.
Effects of GLA on the growth of atherosclerotic plaque:
Several studies done on animals or in vitro suggest that GLA may inhibit a number of other processes related to the growth of atherosclerotic plaque including platelet aggregation, smooth muscle cell multiplication and inflammation. These findings have yet to be confirmed in human trials.

High blood pressure:
High blood pressure (hypertension) increases blood turbulence and may damage blood vessel walls, leading to the development of atherosclerotic plaque. Several laboratory studies on hypertensive rats have shown that dietary supplementation with oils containing GLA significantly lowered blood pressure.

Studies on humans demonstrate that GLA supplementation is particularly useful for stress-related hypertension (high blood pressure). In a 1996 study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, patients received 1 gram of GLA per day for 4 weeks. During subsequent stress-exposure tests, the patients in the treatment group had much lower blood pressure than patients in the placebo group. The placebo patients experienced almost double the increase in blood pressure during experimental stress than did patients who received GLA.