The quick and dirty explanation of GLA and its benefits is that it increases the permeability and elasticity of cell membranes and helps regulate water loss, thus helping to prevent dehydration and promote healthy skin.

And from what I remember from Beyond Cellulite: Nicole Ronsard’s Ultimate Strategy to Slim, Firm and Reshape Your Lower Body the healthier and more hydrated your cells are, the better the exchange of nutrients and waste into and out of your cells. All of this results in healthier and smoother skin because the cells are functioning at their optimal levels.

From Dr. Weil’s site:

Want healthy skin, hair and nails? Try taking the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA). This essential fatty acid offers a wide range of benefits, from acting as an effective anti-inflammatory agent (with none of the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs) to promoting the healthy growth of skin, hair and nails. GLA can also be used effectively for other conditions such as brittle nails and hair, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and premenstrual syndrome.

Unfortunately, GLA is hard to come by in the diet, so supplements may be necessary. Three good, natural sources are evening primrose oil, black currant oil and borage oil. Each comes in capsule form, and vary in the amount of GLA they supply as well as in their cost.

Do not expect immediate results when taking GLA: it takes six to eight weeks to see changes after adding GLA to the diet.

A very detailed and excellent explanation exists in The Fat Flush Plan. But the part that I took away is that GLA activates hormones called prostaglandins which regulate the sodium-potassium pump, which according to Nicole Ronsard, is critical for reducing cellulite.  Optimizing this ‘pump’, the sodium-potassium exchange in cellular fluid creates and maintains healthy cells and keeps the lymphatic system clean. See one of my early posts to read more about the sodium-potassium connection.

http://mycellulitewar.com/2009/03/29/cellulite_reduction_diet/cellulite-rduction-diet-a-potassium-sodium-connection/

Now that’s a compelling reason to take GLA! I’m off to WalMart to get some more.

Thanks for reading!