just one doubt:
On Italian pages on google, borage oil is always presented as an omega 6 supplement; on the contrary, in some American pages, I read about it as an Omega 3 supplement.
What is your opinion about it?
many thanks, Anna Maria

Re...

Dear contin:

Dr. Pickart will probably post back regarding this. But on our Supplements Page it mentions:
"Polyunsaturated oils include corn oil, canola oil (canola oil is a mixed category - high in both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids), sunflower oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, fish oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, primrose oil, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, borage oil."

Our page on Menopause and Aging states: "There are two basic types of EFAs, the omega-3 fats found in algae, fish oils, and flax seed, and the omega-6 fats found in plants such as primrose oil and borage oil...The ingestion of omega-3 and omega-6 fats should be balanced due to the fact that we need both types. Since we already get more omega-6 than omega-3 from our diets, you should ingest about two to three times more omega-3 fat than omega-6 fat. The best source of omega-3 fats is fish, fish oil capsules or flaxseed capsules while the best source of omega-6 is borage oil."

Best Wishes,
-Skin Biology

In the meanwhile, many thanks for your answer.

But, as you can read on this link:
https://healthyskin.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9940055903/m/1360001235

borage oil is included in omega 3. Dr. Pickart also says that Omega 6 can be inflammatory,
so,
if borage oil is omega 6 and not 3, could it be inflammatory?
I take every day 1 gr vit C, 1 gr MSM, 1 gr borage oil (so, an inflammatory omega 6?), no omega 3 (but I eat fish 3 times a week)...

many thanks if you could help me in solving this doubt.
and sorry if my doubt cames from a bad reading of English language.
Thanks again, AM

This message has been edited. Last edited by: contin,

Dear contin:

We'll post back Dr. Pickart's thoughts on this. We do know that he considers borage oil a good source of omega-3 fats.

And it seems the key is to strike a balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats for a person's health.

Many thanks,
Anna Maria

That is a mistake in our website.

Borage oil, primrose oil, and flaxseed oil are anti-inflammatory omega 6 fats but have many actions similar to fish oil. These oils contain fats that contain, or are converted into gamma linolenic acid which has many health benefits - see below.

Most omega 6 fats are inflammatory and the modern diet is too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3.

Many experts on fat metabolism recommend using both the fish oils and the fats that contain gamma linolenic acid.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/gamma-linolenic-000305.htm

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an essential fatty acid (EFA) in the omega-6 family that is found primarily in plant-based oils. EFAs are essential to human health but cannot be made in the body. For this reason, they must be obtained from food. EFAs are needed for normal brain function, growth and development, bone health, stimulation of skin and hair growth, regulation of metabolism, and maintenance of reproductive processes.

Linoleic acid (LA), another omega-6 fatty acid, is found in cooking oils and processed foods and converted to GLA in the body. GLA is then broken down to arachidonic acid (AA) and/or another substance called dihomogamma-liolenic acid (DGLA). AA can also be consumed directly from meat, and GLA is available directly from evening primrose oil (EPO), black currant seed oil, and borage oil. Most of these oils also contain some linoleic acid.

The average North American diet provides more than 10 times the necessary amount of linoleic acid and tends to have too much omega-6 fatty acids compared to omega-3 fatty acids, another important class of EFAs. In fact, for optimum health, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1. The typical North American and Israeli diets are usually in the range of 11:1 to 30:1. This imbalance contributes to the development of long-term diseases such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, arthritis, and depression as well as, possibly, increased risk of infection.

Interestingly, not all omega-6 fatty acids behave the same. Linoleic acid (not to be confused with alpha-linolenic acid, which is in the omega-3 family) and arachidonic acid (AA) tend to be unhealthy because they promote inflammation, thereby increasing the risk of the diseases mentioned when consumed in excess. In contrast, GLA may actually reduce inflammation.

Much of the GLA taken from the oils mentioned or as a supplement is not converted to AA, but rather to DGLA. DGLA competes with AA and prevents the negative inflammatory effects that AA would otherwise cause in the body. Having adequate amounts of certain nutrients in the body (including magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C, B3, and B6) helps to promote the conversion of GLA to DGLA rather than AA.

It is important to know that many experts feel that the science supporting the use of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and prevent diseases is much stronger than the information regarding use of GLA for these purposes. Two important, and most studied, omega-3 fatty acids include eicosopentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both found in fish and fish oils.