[Effects of Gamma-linolenic Acid] Women’s Health and Inner Beauty at Once, 4 Benefits of Gamma-linolenic Acid

Dec 03, 2023KimSunhyo

[Effects of Gamma-linolenic Acid] Women’s Health and Inner Beauty at Once, 4 Benefits of Gamma-linolenic Acid

Gamma-linolenic Acid

‘This’ Beauty Oil for Women’s Health as well as Inner Beauty

This content is health information about ingredients and not directly related to a specific product.

Effects of Gamma-linolenic Acid

1. Improves menopausal high blood pressure and abdominal obesity
2. Reduces weight cycling phenomenon
3. Strengthens skin barrier
4. Reduces inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

Do you know about the benefits of gamma-linolenic acid? Many people probably know it as an ingredient that can help improve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Gamma-linolenic acid is a type of omega-6 fatty acid. Although it is essential for our bodies, it cannot be synthesized within the human body, so it belongs to the ‘essential fatty acids’ that must be consumed through food. Therefore, it is an ingredient that can help the overall health of all ages and genders, as well as women suffering from premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Today, we will take a closer look at the benefits of gamma-linolenic acid, which we were not aware of until now.

1. Improves Menopausal High Blood Pressure and Abdominal Obesity

Estrogen is an important hormone that not only affects female sexual development, but also protects the cardiovascular system, breaks down abdominal fat, and prevents overall metabolic diseases. However, as the effect of estrogen decreases after menopause, the risk of developing chronic diseases such as high blood pressure increases, and abdominal obesity becomes more likely to appear.

Regards to this, a study was published in Menopause 2021 on the effects of consumption of borage oil, rich in gamma-linolenic acid, on menopausal women.

“Supplementation with borage oil, which is rich in gamma-linolenic acid, not only slightly reduced the waist-to-hip ratio in postmenopausal women with high blood pressure, but also lowered blood pressure.”

Reference : da Costa Hime LFC, Carvalho Lopes CM, Roa CL, Zuchelo LTS, Baracat EC, de Andrade J, Soares JM Jr (2021). Is there a beneficial effect of gamma-linolenic acid supplementation on body fat in postmenopausal hypertensive women? A prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Menopause, 28(6): 699-705.

2. Reduces Weight Cycling Phenomenon

Why do we call dieting a lifelong homework? Although you know the method, it is difficult to put into practice, and it may be due to the weight cycling effect of gaining back the weight you have worked hard to lose over several months. The cause of this tiresome weight cycling phenomenon is ‘homeostasis’, where our body tries to maintain a certain state at a constant level.

In 2007, a result was reported in The Journal of Nutrition that supplementing with gamma-linolenic acid could reduce the weight cycling effect in people experiencing weight loss.

“In conclusion, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) reduced weight regain in humans following significant weight loss, suggesting a role for essential fatty acids in fuel partitioning in obesity-prone humans.”

Reference : Marie A. Schirmer, Stephen D (2007). Phinney, γ-Linolenate Reduces Weight Regain in Formerly Obese Humans. The Journal of Nutrition, 137(6): 1430–1435.

3. Strengthens Skin Barrier

The effect of improving premenstrual syndrome symptoms, which is known as the most representative benefit of gamma-linolenic acid, is due to the strong anti-inflammatory effect of gamma-linolenic acid. The anti-inflammatory properties of gamma-linolenic acid also have various benefits for skin health. This is why gamma-linolenic acid is called ‘beauty oil.’

A study published in the Journal of Oleo Science in 2011 found that gamma-linolenic acid supplements strengthened the skin barrier in adults with dry skin or mild atopic dermatitis.

“Foods rich in GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) are safe for subjects with dry skin and mild atopic dermatitis and appear to improve skin barrier function.”

Reference : Kawamura, A., Ooyama, K., Kojima, K., Kachi, H., Abe, T., Amano, K., & Aoyama, T. (2011). Dietary Supplementation of Gamma-Linolenic Acid Improves Skin Parameters in Subjects with Dry Skin and Mild Atopic Dermatitis. Journal of Oleo Science, 60(12), 597–607.

4. Reduces Inflammatory and Non-inflammatory Acne Lesions

Not only that. Gamma-linolenic acid is a good ingredient for acne, which is another type of inflammation that appears on the skin, just like atopic dermatitis.

According to a study published in Acta dermato-venereologica in 2014, gamma-linolenic acid may also have some benefit in improving acne.

“After taking omega-3 fatty acid or gamma-linolenic acid supplements for 10 weeks, there was a significant reduction in inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions.”

Reference : Jung JY, Kwon HH, Hong JS, Yoon JY, Park MS, Jang MY, Suh DH (2014). Effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid and gamma-linolenic acid on acne vulgaris: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. Acta Derm Venereol, 94(5): 521-526.

Today, we looked at not only the women's health-related benefits of gamma-linolenic acid, but also its various effects such as anti-inflammatory and inner beauty. Due to these various effects, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has also recognized gamma-linolenic acid's quadruple functionality of improving blood cholesterol, improving blood circulation, improving uncomfortable conditions due to premenstrual changes, and improving skin conditions due to immune hypersensitivity reactions. We hope that you will use it to suit your needs.

I hope you have a healthy day both physically and mentally. This was Jinny.

Back