Essential Woman from Barlean’s Organic Oils

Women tend to suffer from skin problems more so than men. Red patches, dark rims, flaky skin, dull skin, brittle or broken nails, thin or lifeless hair are all outward signs of a physical imbalances.

Many women attempt to cure skin problems by eating as little fat as possible, monitoring their intake of carbohydrates, taking the pill, taking extra calcium or by trying to protect themselves from harmful UV rays by using expensive sunblock products.

In his recently published book the author Jo Wyckmans maintains that all these good intentions are at the root of the health and hormonal problems, which manifest themselves in women via the skin, hair and nails. In his opinion the main cause of most skin problems is a fat free diet.

To maintain beautiful healthy skin the body needs the right beneficial fats, particularly during the ageing process.

Too many women have renounced all types of fat in pursuit of an ideal figure and by observing the recommendations of a health industry, which once denounced all fats as unhealthy weight inducing substances

It is not surprising that 7% of the population suffers from skin problems such as eczema, characterised by chronically itching, inflamed skin that is very dry, red and flaky. 2 to 4% of the population suffers from psoriasis, characterised by a clearly defined red skin rash or patches covered in silvery flakes.

Often those who suffer most from the disorders are the women who are trying hardest to obtain radiant skin.

Today's twenty and thirty year olds are trying so hard to become or remain thin, that they are living on lettuce leaves, fat free yogurt, slim line soft drinks, fat free salad dressing, low fat of fat free biscuits, white rice and low fat margarine. Their fat free or low fat diet contains few, if any, essential fatty acids. But these are an absolute necessity in maintaining hormonal balance and for absorbing fat soluble antioxidants such as vitamin A and E, both of which are essential for flawless skin, strong nails, shiny hair and an effective immune system."

According to Jo Wyckmans there is no doubt that most women's diets lack beauty enhancing oils of the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acid groups.

Even though the body can also convert other essential fatty acids into gamma linolenic acid, a continual supply of preformed gamma linolenic acid from evening primrose oil may be more beneficial.

The body's ability to convert the more general linolenic acid into gamma linolenic acid decreases as we get older, whereas the body's demands increase.

The activity of D6-desaturase is also limited by environmental factors such as diet, stress and ageing.

Preformed gamma linolenic acid helps the skin to get the most from essential fatty acids when fighting disease and inhibiting inflammation.

Combined use of flax seed and evening primrose oil is ideal. Flax seed and evening primrose oil are supplied individually by many quality manufacturers and can be bought at health food stores. However, the best results are obtained with a product which combines organic flax seed and evening primrose oils and lignans.

Research by the Dermatology Department of the School of Medicine at the University of California, Davus (US) has shown that this combined oil is extremely effective for instance in the treatment of psoriases, one of the most obvious signals of overall skin inflammation.

Once it is produced in the body arachidonic acid is converted into another chemical substance, which promoted inflammation - leukotriene B4.

This substance is known to accumulate in the skin rashes of psoriases patients. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an important poly unsaturated fatty acid in fish oil, which is also produced by the body from the raw material in flax seed oil, is a powerful leukotriene B4 inhibitor, similar to galla linolenic acid.

Another good reason for the combined use of flax seed and evening primrose oils is that the body is much more inclined to convert gamma linolenic acid into beneficial prostaglandins under the influence of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Flax seed oil is rich in alpha linolenic acid, which is converted into inflammatory leukotrienes to a much lesser extent. Furthermore, the Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seed oil inhibit the production of inflammatory arachidonic acid by the body (found in saturated animal fats)

"Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids promote radiant skin, shiny hair and healthy, strong nails. This is due to the fact that they promote the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K by stimulatingly the production of hormones and promoting the transport of oxygen throughout the body.

They also protect against eczema, dandruff, psoriasis, dryness and hair loss. In other words they ensure in many ways that we remain beautiful on the outside."

The above demonstrates that the skin needs good and healthy fats and oils, but not excessive quantities of saturated fats of partly hydrogenated vegetable oils (found in low fat margarine or other types of processed fats, which are used to improve taste and texture of snacks and other foods)

Good fats are based on essential fatty acids. In addition to the fact that they promote the absorption of beauty enhancing antioxidants, essential fatty acids are also essential for the production of prosaglandins.

There are two types of prostaglandins, anti-inflammatory and inflammatory. Prostaglandins cannot be stored in the body; they have to be produces from essential fatty acids, which are derived from our diet on a continual basis. A deficiency in fatty acids can have dire consequences for the skin. It can cause an imbalance in prostaglandins, which results in dry skin, itching, eczema, flaking, dull and thin hair, brittle nails etc.

The best natural source of essential fatty acids include flax seed, fish and evening primrose oil.

Fish and flax oil is one of the richest natural sources of a rare type of fatty acid, i.e. gamma linolenic acid. The exceptionally high gamma linolenic acid content in evening primrose oil is crucial for a healthy skin. The D6-desaturase and D5-desaturase enzymes, which convert many essential fatty acids into useful substances for the skin, are not naturally found in the skin. The skin does not need these enzymes to convert gamma linolenic acid into components required to prevent inflammation, but it does require them for the continual production of gamma linolenic acid from precursor components by the liver, so that the blood provides transport to the skin.

Clinical research welcomes evening primrose oil

All this beneficial metabolic activity results in radiant skin, states Jo Wyckmans in his book. He is not surprised, therefore, that clinical research is very much in favour of the use of evening primrose oil as a food supplement for persistent skin disorders in both adults and children.

During a double blind test, carried out by researchers from the Physiology Department at the University of Turku, Finland, eczema patients were administered oral doses of evening primrose oil or a placebo for a period of 12 weeks. The evening primrose group showed a striking (statistical) improvement of the overall intensity and degree of inflammation of the the body area affected by eczema and a reduction in dryness and itching. Patients given evening primrose oil also reported a more significant decrease in inflammation that the patients given a placebo.

During the test carried out by the researchers of the Nutrition Research Centre at the University of Bologan, Italy, 24 children with atopic eczema were given evening primrose or olive oil. After only four weeks the children who were given essential fatty acids showed a clear improvement in comparison with the children taking olive oil. Researchers at the Paediatric Clinic of the Health Centre in Gripen, Karlstad, Sweden, completed a double blind, placebo controlled, parallel study of 60 children suffering from dermatitus, who needed regular treatment with local skin steroids. The children were administered oral doses of evening primrose oil or placebo capsules for a period of 16 weeks.

"The test showed a significant improvement in the symptoms of eczema", according to the researchers.

Extensive other research support the use of evening primrose oil as a food supplement in order to treat troublesome skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis.

Another good reason in favour of using this product is the combination of flax seed with evening primrose oil. When used as a "fresh" organic food supplement Essential Woman, made by Barlean's for instance, promises to improve female skin from the inside.

Fresh ExPressed and organic and extremely rich in;

• lignans
• organic isoflavones
• unrefined Omega-3
• evening primrose oil (GLA)
• vitamins E/A
• proteins and minerals
• betacarotene

Essential Woman is available in oil or capsule for, the oil can be used in salads, with pasta or rice, in yogurt etc. For more recipe ideas, click here

Jo Wyckmans book "Healthy on the Inside, Beautiful on the Outside", is available to order from 1st Vitality

The Essential Woman - Organic Flax Oil Complex for Women

Essential Woman is a natural mixture of organic essential fatty acids and natural phytonutrients to meet specific and changing female requirements. It is the first product of its kind to offer a full complement of therapeutic nutrients. Containing a balance of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.

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