Researchers into Essential Fatty Acids say that soon they will be as familiar to us as vitamins and minerals are today. So what’s all the fuss about? What are they and why are they called essential?

Essential Fatty Acids or EFA’s are constituents of all membranes and tissues in the body. Any deficiency in EFA levels causes disturbances in all tissues. You’d think that would be why they’re called essential. But not so. They are considered essential because they cannot be made by the body. They can only be obtained by diet, and although Essential Fatty Acids are found in many foods, our individual biochemistry, dietary habits, and lifestyles determine how available they are to us.

We should view Essential Fatty Acids in the same way we view vitamins and minerals - as necessary to human health.

One of the most critical fatty acids in human health and nutrition is Linoleic Acid. However, by itself Linoleic Acid has no biological activity. To be useful to the body it must first be converted to GAMMA LINOLENIC ACID (GLA) and finally to PROSTAGLANDIN E1 or PGE1. Prostaglandins are molecules that act as vital cell regulators. A complex chain of biochemical reactions must take place before any GLA is even produced by the body and numerous dietary and biochemical factors can sabotage the arduous route from Linoleic Acid to GLA and finally to PGE1. Sometimes no matter how much Linoleic Acid we take in our food, our body actually synthesizes very little PGE1.

Evening Primrose Oil is one of the few substances found in nature that contains significant amounts of GLA. It has no toxic properties and is readily available for human consumption. Dr. Horrobin, a foremost researcher into essential fatty acids states: "The level of PGE1 is of crucial importance to the body. A fall in the level of PGE1 will lead to potentially catastrophic series of untoward consequences including increased vascular reactivity, enhanced blood clotting, elevated cholesterol production... enhanced risk of auto-immune disease ... enhanced risk of inflammatory disorders and susceptibility to depression."

All oils are volatile and unstable so it is important that great care is taken with their processing and manufacture. It is counterproductive to supplement with an oil that may be inferior or even rancid. That is why the purity and stability of Evening Primrose Oil is paramount. Natural Factors has gone out of its way to address the issues of purity, potency, stability and efficacy. Stringent quality control begins with the special strains of Evening Primrose seeds that are supplied to organic growers. Natural Factors production oversees every level of processing, from initial extraction to encapsulation and distribution. The result of this rigorous quality control is an exceptionally efficacious product that is stable yet free of preservatives. The important active ingredient, GLA, is unaltered, available to be converted to PGE1.