Vitamins for gout – here's why you may want to use Borage Oil, instead of Evening Primrose Oil, for relief from gout pain and inflammationYou may want to include borage oil in your vitamins for gout because it's the best source of gamma linolenic acid. Gamma linolenic acid, an omega -6 fat,is one of the nutrients that orchestrate in the body the production of “good” eicosanoids. Improving the balance of “good” and “bad” eicosanoid prostaglandins is the key to pain relief for gout from this method. GLA is one of the star nutrients – the other stars are EPA, DHA, (from fish oils) and the body enzymes D6D and D5D. The rest of the cast are linoleic acid (LA) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). To understand why they can deliver relief from gout pain read read our omega -6 page, especially the section entitled “The Role of Arachidonic Acid”, and our fish oils page. On the omega -6 page you can read about pain relief from gout testimonials using this approach. Together they perform the production in the body of "good" and "bad" eicosanoids. These are hormones, produced in the cells in their case, not glands, and the balance of them affects many health factors. Obviously you want more "good" than "bad." The words “good” and “bad” are in this medical context. In others “bad” can be good. For gout sufferers the significance of eicosanoid balance is that by improving it you can get relief for gout pain and reduce your need for pain medications such as NSAIDs or corticosteroids such as prednisone. Borage Oil, sometimes called starflower oil, is extracted from the seeds of the borage herb plant. Strictly speaking borage oil may be a herb, but most people probably think of it as a vitamin or dietary supplement. So here we are labeling it one of the vitamins for gout. Borage Oil is an excellent source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), in fact better than evening primrose oil. This means that you get a higher by far dose of GLA from a single capsule when you use borage oil. Did you know that 20% – 23% of borage oil is GLA, whereas only about 10% of evening primrose oil is GLA? Borage oil also contains linoleic acid (LA). It's a better quality source of LA, as is evening primrose oil, than the cooking oils mentioned on the omega -6 page. You can find borage oil dietary supplements which deliver 220 mg – 300 mg of GLA per capsule, whereas your average evening primrose oil supplement contains 50 mg – 100 mg GLA. Some dietary supplements of evening primrose oil are formulated to provide slightly higher amounts of GLA, but they don't match the amount in borage oil. This means the cost per capsule for GLA content is probably less than evening primrose oil, especially when you buy a higher quantity of borage oil, thus spending more up front, but getting it cheaper over the long-run. Check this at the vitamin web sites or vitamin retailers you frequent. How much GLA for your gout pain campaign? In Dr. Sears's anti-pain, anti-inflammation theory, explained in some detail on the omega -3 and omega -6 pages, you can you can get sufficient GLA by simply eating three to five bowls of slow cooked oatmeal (whole grain porridge oats) a week. In Dr.Atkins Vita-Nutrient Solution book you need more. If you attempt this treatment, high quality fish oils and the control/reduction of insulin levels by carbohydrate restriction (but not down to the amounts in the Atkins diet) are the other key factors. You may find you require more GLA, although there is such a thing as taking too much. GLA is also produced by converting it from linoleic acid. Your LA to GLA conversion rate depends on many factors. A key one is your age. Gout sufferers are usually over 40. By 65 you only produce ⅓ of the amount of GLA from LA as you did when about 25. Taking GLA in its own form, not converted, guarantees you can get an amount you know. GLA is one of the key vitamins for gout swelling and pain relief. Whether you need the amount of GLA in borage oil, or in evening primrose oil, depends on what your doctor says, and whether you use the Sears's or Atkins's methods for gout pain treatment.
The omega -6 page says more about both approaches.
If you live in the United States we recommend these Borage Oil products from www.MotherNature.com. Clicking the images does not commit you. It takes you to these products's pages at MotherNature.com The first supplies a high 300 mg of GLA per capsule as well as almost 500 mg of Linoleic Acid. Use this amount of GLA if you have decided to try the high GLA approach, as explained on the omega -6 page.
This borage oil product at MotherNature.com is also worth considering.
If you decide on the high omega -3/low GLA approach, as described on the omega -6 page, then click on the Zone Diet banner advertisement below, and view the EicoRx range of fish oils which also contain added amounts of GLA. To do this, when the Zone Diet's home page arrives, click on the Omega -3 tab at the top.
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