Evening primrose oil is one of the products that women are interested in and used in recent years as a "miracle drug" for women with many preparations such as from brands such as Blackmore, Nature's Way. , Healthy care... In the article below, let's join Atlantic Medical to find out the true effects of evening primrose oil through related scientific research.

What is evening primrose oil? Ingredients of evening primrose oil

Evening primrose is the common name of Oenothera biennis – a species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae, native to North America. Oenothera biennis Can grow up to 1.6m tall; Leaves lanceolate, green; The flowers are yellow, bloom very quickly in the evening and will wither at noon the next day, so they are often called evening primrose oil - "evening primrose"

Seeds of Oenothera biennis contains 14% a so-called fixed oil evening primrose oil, may contain 50% to 70% cis-linoleic acid and 7% to 10% cis-GLA. Varieties Oenothera biennis wild contains widely varying amounts of linoleic acid and GLA; however, extensive cross-breeding has produced a commercial variety capable of yielding stable oils with 72% cis-linoleic acid and 9% GLA.2,3 Also cis-6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid; small amounts of oleic, palmitic and stearic acids; steroids; campesterol; and beta-sitosterol.

Studies on the effects of evening primrose oil

Vasomotor symptoms of premenopause, menopause or premenstrual syndrome

Several studies and randomized clinical trials have found no evidence of benefit from using evening primrose oil on vasomotor symptoms of perimenopause, menopause, or premenstrual syndrome. Therefore, in 2004, the North American Menopause Society did not support the use of evening primrose oil for menopausal vasomotor symptoms due to lack of efficacy data. The Canadian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2021) clinical practice guideline for the management of menopausal vasomotor symptoms does not recommend evening primrose oil because of a lack of evidence supporting clinical benefit.

A 2013 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 56 menopausal treatment-naïve Iranian women (with at least 4 hot flashes per day) noted significant changes in severity. of hot flashes, but the frequency or duration of each hot flash was not reduced by using 1000mg of evening primrose oil per day for 6 weeks. Therefore, women with decreased female hormones may experience problems hot flashes, sweating You should look for other products to fix your situation.

Skin health

There are many studies showing that evening primrose oil has skin beautifying effects. One of the case studies is the study of R Muggli et al conducted in 2005. This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effects of evening primrose oil on skin health in healthy adults on the following factors: moisture, transepidermal water loss, redness, firmness, freshness and smoothness in 12 weeks. The results showed that in addition to redness, all other skin factors studied improved compared to the placebo group.

Another 2021 study conducted by Hoon Kim and research shows that evening primrose oil can help limit wrinkle formation, promote skin moisturization, enhance skin barrier function and inhibit inflammatory reactions.

Psychological problems

A study of 100 menopausal women in Iran in 2021 showed that evening primrose oil can help improve psychological problems during menopause such as emotionality, anxiety, and depressed mood.

Atopic dermatitis

Some previous studies have suggested that evening primrose oil has promising effects on atopic dermatitis. However, several reviews and randomized clinical trials show a lack of support for the use of evening primrose oil for atopic dermatitis. A Cochrane review (2013) evaluated 19 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials conducted in adults and children evaluating evening primrose oil in the symptomatic treatment of atopic dermatitis. found that evening primrose oil did not prove effective in atopic dermatitis

Heart-related diseaes

One study showed that evening primrose oil reduced platelet aggregation and cholesterol, but these studies mostly used laboratory animals (mice, rabbits) and were not randomized, so the level of evidence was low. Recent randomized, controlled studies show that evening primrose oil supplementation does not affect endothelial function or vascular tone.

Diabetic neuropathy

A review of 3 randomized, controlled trials shows that evening primrose oil may improve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. Dosages in these trials ranged from 360 to 480 mg of GLA per day. Some side effects were noted in these trials, but study participants' blood sugar levels did not increase.

Gestational diabetes

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 60 Iranian women with gestational diabetes studied the effects of vitamin D3 (1,000IU) combined with evening primrose oil (1,000 mg). on insulin resistance and lipid parameters. The results showed that the combination helped improve blood sugar and lipid indexes in women with gestational diabetes.

Chest pain

There is little evidence to support the effectiveness of evening primrose oil in treating chest pain, with most trials finding no beneficial results for evening primrose oil compared to placebo. A meta-analysis of clinical trials found no evidence of an analgesic effect, with a mean pain score difference of -2.78 (95% confidence interval, -7.97 to 2.4).

Conclude

Evidence from scientific studies shows that using evening primrose oil in the evening can help beautify the skin and improve diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic neuropathy. But there is little evidence that evening primrose oil is effective in atopic dermatitis/eczema syndrome, cardiovascular disease, vasomotor manifestations of endocrine insufficiency (hot flashes, sweating), chest pain or multiple sclerosis. Although there is scientific evidence that it is beneficial for some diseases, the use of flower oil with the above for people with medical conditions still requires consultation with medical staff.

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Wishing you and your family good health and quality life!