For OSTEOPENIA or OSTEOPOROSIS, the fatty acid Gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, can boost bone building and slow bone loss. GLA reduces chronic inflammation that can erode bone density. It also enhances calcium absorption from the gut, increases calcium deposits in bones, diminishes calcium loss in urine, and stimulates new bone growth. All these actions contribute to greater bone mass and strength, less chance of osteoporosis, and therefore lower fracture risk. It is known that a deficiency in GLA, an essential omega-6 fatty acid, can lead to severe bone loss.

GLA cuts inflammation, slows bone loss, and boosts bone-building

Chronic, low-grade inflammation is a major contributor to osteopenia and osteoporosis. GLA is thought to create a strong anti-inflammatory effect that protects bone density.

Bone tissue is constantly being broken down and rebuilt in a process called remodeling, which is managed by two main cell types: osteoclasts and osteoblasts. They work together to maintain the structure, strength, and integrity of the skeleton, and to regulate calcium levels in the blood.² Osteoclasts break down old and damaged bone tissue, while osteoblasts create new bone tissue and mineralize and calcify it. Healthy bone maintenance relies on a perfect balance between the activity of the osteoclasts and the osteoblasts.

In healthy adults, the amount of bone broken down by osteoclasts is typically equal to the amount of bone built by osteoblasts, keeping overall bone mass constant. In osteoporosis, this balance is disrupted. Inflammatory molecules called cytokines ramp up the activity of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone, which outpaces the bone building activity of osteoblasts. This imbalance leads to a net loss of bone mass, a more porous bone structure, and increased risk of fractures.

GLA and other essential fatty acids decrease the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and slow down the excessive bone resorption caused by chronic inflammation. In addition, GLA promotes osteoblast activity, thereby enhancing new bone formation and maintaining the balance needed for strong bone structure.³

GLA helps calcium, vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 activity

GLA, as an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, supports the absorption and transport of vitamin D and vitamin K, specific fat-soluble vitamins essential for bone health. Vitamins D and K require the presence of dietary fat for their successful digestion, absorption, and transport. Fats including GLA are broken down into smaller fragments, fatty acids and monoglycerides. These combine with bile salts to form mixed micelles which encapsulate fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin D and vitamin K. These micelles move more efficiently through the intestinal lumen (the hollow space inside the intestines through which food and waste pass) to the surface of the intestinal cells or enterocytes for absorption. GLA directly supports the entire mechanism of micelle formation.

Beyond its role in fat absorption, GLA and its metabolites offer a synergistic effect with vitamins D and K at the cellular level in bone tissue, which is the underlying purpose of their transport. Vitamin D’s primary roles include increasing the production of proteins such as osteocalcin, which are necessary for bone mineralization. Vitamin K is required to activate osteocalcin via a process called carboxylation, allowing it to bind calcium and deposit it into the bone matrix.⁶ GLA’s anti-resorptive and anti-inflammatory properties work alongside the key mineralization steps driven by vitamins D and K to promote overall bone health.

Research confirms that GLA helps bone density

Some of the research investigating the benefits for osteoporosis has been done using GLA in combination with other supplements, such as EPA from fish oil and calcium. A landmark 1992 study published in the Journal of Nutritional Medicine investigated the effects of a daily supplement containing GLA from evening primrose oil and EPA from fish oil on bone mineral density in women with osteoporosis. The study found that patients who received the combined GLA and EPA supplement experienced a significant increase in bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, while the placebo group experienced bone loss. The researchers concluded that fatty acids likely inhibited bone resorption and improved the absorption and incorporation of calcium.⁴

Another clinical trial investigated the effect of GLA and other essential fatty acid supplementation in combination with calcium on bone health in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. In this study, 65 postmenopausal women were given calcium with either a placebo or a combination of omega-6 fatty acids including GLA from evening primrose oil and omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil for 18 months. At the end of the study period, the group receiving essential fatty acids had higher bone density and fewer fractures than the placebo group.⁵

What is Gamma Linolenic Acid?

GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid found in only small amounts in specific plant oils, such as evening primrose oil, borage seed oil, and black currant seed oil. GLA has been used for centuries in traditional folk cures. Native Americans used it, and by the time it made its way to Europe it was in common use and eventually nicknamed the “king’s cure-all.”

Borage (Borago officinalis) is an herb native to Syria that has spread throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. Borage flowers and leaves may be eaten, and borage seeds are often pressed to produce oil containing small amounts of gamma linolenic acid (GLA).

Omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids: they are necessary for human health, but the body cannot make them. Other omega-6 fatty acids are common in standard American diets, but GLA itself is rare and in few foods. We need supplemental GLA since our bodies cannot obtain adequate amounts from our diets. Although its precursor, linoleic acid, is found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils, its conversion in the body into GLA can be hampered by the natural aging process, disorders like diabetes, poor diets with excess saturated fats or sugar, as well as inadequate intake of vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, or B-complex vitamins.

While blackcurrant oil, evening primrose and borage oil are all sources of the omega-6 fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), the amounts are small in each of them. Borage oil is the source we prefer for GLA, as it typically has a significantly higher concentration of GLA, up to 25% of the oil which is more than double that of evening primrose oil.

Our clinic experience with GLA

In our clinic, we look for a potent and thus economical concentration of GLA by a professional brand. Our patients with low bone density who take ample GLA on a daily basis have mostly been able to maintain or sometimes improve their DEXA scores over several years. Because bone density changes slowly, we recommend a DEXA test of both hips and the lumbar spine, along with measuring the Trabecular Bone Score, also known as TBS, every 2 to 3 years to track improvements.

Recommendation: Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) 240 mg in a standardized base of borage oil, 1,000 mg (1 gram), taken 1 to 3 times daily with meals, or as directed by your healthcare provider. Research shows that a daily intake of between 200 to 1,000 mg of GLA is needed for all the important anti-inflammatory and other benefits. Higher doses of GLA have been shown to be very safe for long-term use. We always look for a professional brand of borage oil that is certified free of unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (UPAs). It is crucial to use products that are free of UPAs, compounds naturally found in the borage plant that can be unhealthy for the liver, especially with prolonged use.

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