Gamma Linolenic (Genova)
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega-6 fatty acid. The body converts linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid and then to arachidonic acid (AA).
You can get gamma-linolenic acid from several plant-based oils, including evening primrose oil (EPO), borage oil, and black currant seed oil. Most of these oils also contain some linoleic acid.
Gamma-linolenic acid contains 18 carbons and 3 double bonds. It is synthesized from linoleic acid by adding a double bond using the delta-6-desaturase enzyme. This enzymatic reaction is very slow and further impaired in vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as zinc and cobalt. Stress, smoking, alcohol, and systemic inflammatory conditions can also slow this conversion.
What are Omega-6 fatty acids?
Omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids. They are necessary for human health, but the body cannot make them. You have to get them through food. Along with omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, and normal growth and development. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), they help stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and maintain the reproductive system.
There are several different types of omega-6 fatty acids. Most omega-6 fatty acids in the diet come from vegetable oils in the form of linoleic acid (LA).
Balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids:
A healthy diet contains a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation while some omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation. The typical American diet contains 14 to 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. Many physicians blame this high rate of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids for the large number of inflammatory diseases in the American population.
Not all omega-6 fatty acids behave the same. Linoleic acid and arachidonic acid (AA) tend to promote inflammation. Gamma-linolenic acid, on the other hand, may actually reduce inflammation. Some studies even suggest that GLA protects DNA.
The body converts much of the gamma-linolenic acid to a substance called DGLA that fights inflammation. Having enough of certain nutrients in the body (including magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C, B3, and B6) helps promote the conversion of gamma-linolenic acid to DGLA.
Many experts find the science supporting the use of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and prevent diseases to be much stronger than that supporting gamma-linolenic acid.
----------------------
Possible treatment options:
Many people supplement with GLA-containing products such as borage oil, black currant, and evening primrose. Primrose and borage oil supplementation have been studied as an effective treatment for many conditions such as:
- rheumatoid arthritis,
- dermatitis,
- and diabetic neuropathy.
They have been shown to:
- decrease inflammation,
- improve bone health,
- regulate lipid metabolism,
- and have beneficial effects on the skin.
Questions and concerns:
Whether it’s the GLA component that is beneficial or GLA’s downstream fatty acid metabolite is difficult to determine. The clinical importance of GLA is in its rapid conversion to its downstream fatty acid dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) which is anti-inflammatory. GLA itself, however, does have physiologic importance. It has been shown to exert some tumoricidal activity in various cancers and to inhibit metastases.
GLA has been studied for its clinical importance in neurovascular deficits in diabetes and has been shown to normalize nerve conduction velocity and endoneurial blood flow. There is some concern regarding GLA supplementation leading to rapid conversion through DGLA to arachidonic acid. Supplementing the omega-3s EPA or DHA may help to mitigate the effects since there is enzymatic competition for the delta-5-desaturase enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for both AA production and EPA metabolism.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17168669/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23460824/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9732298/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27083549/
What does it mean if your Gamma Linolenic (Genova) result is too high?
Elevations are seen with supplementation of borage oil, primrose, and black currant. Additionally, the conversion to DGLA requires the elongase enzyme. Lack of vitamin and mineral cofactors, enzymatic SNPs, or competition for use of the enzyme by omega-3 fatty acids may contribute to elevated GLA. It should also be emphasized that smoking, alcohol, and systemic inflammation can slow the elongase enzyme and conversion to DGLA.
As noted above, GLA has important clinical implications. The issues of safety have been investigated and GLA appears to be nontoxic. Limited cases of soft stools, belching, and abdominal bloating have been reported. Long-term human studies show that up to 2.8 g/d are well tolerated. However, the possibility exists that GLA will be metabolized through to DGLA and then increase arachidonic acid causing inflammation.
The addition of EPA or DHA may help to mitigate these effects.
All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results Easily
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
Cancel or upgrade anytime
What does it mean if your Gamma Linolenic (Genova) result is too low?
Decreased intake of the essential LA can result in low levels. Also decreased conversion by the delta-6-desaturase enzyme can result in low levels of GLA due to lack of vitamin and mineral cofactors or SNPs in the enzyme.
Potential treatment options:
The competition for use of delta-6-desaturase by the omega-3s should also be considered. Due to the important clinical implications of GLA and subsequent DGLA formation as outlined, supplementation with evening primrose, borage oil, and black currant may be beneficial.
Signs and symptoms of alpha or gamma linolenic acid insufficiency:
- growth retardation
- weakness
- impairment of vision
- learning disability
- poor coordination
- tingling in arms/legs
- behavioral changes
- mental disturbances
- low metabolic rate
- high blood pressure
- immune dysfunction
Laboratories
Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place
We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
Pricing Table
Gather Your Lab History — and Finally Make Sense of It
Finally, Your Lab Results Organized and Clear
Personal plans
$79/ year
Advanced Plan
Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 5 reports entered for you
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
$250/ once
Unlimited Account
Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 10 reports entered for you
- No subscriptions. No extra fees.
$45/ month
Pro Monthly
Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track lab results for multiple clients
- Customize reference ranges per client
- Export lab histories and reports
- Begin with first report entered by us
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
About membership
What's included in a Healthmatters membership
Import Lab Results from Any Source
See Your Health Timeline
Understand What Your Results Mean
Visualize Your Results
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story
Once your results are in one place, see the bigger picture — track trends over time, compare data side by side, export your full history, and share securely with anyone you trust.
Bring all your results together to compare, track progress, export your history, and share securely.
What Healthmatters Members Are Saying
Frequently asked questions
Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
- Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
- Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
- Upload lab reports from any lab
- View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
- Track trends and monitor changes over time
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export and share your full lab history
- Access your results anytime, from any device
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 10000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
- The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
- GI-MAP,
- The NutrEval FMV®,
- The ION Profile,
- Amino Acids Profile,
- Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
- Organic Acids Test,
- Organix Comprehensive Profile,
- Toxic Metals,
- Complete Blood Count (CBC),
- Metabolic panel,
- Thyroid panel,
- Lipid Panel,
- Urinalysis,
- And many, many more.
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.