Why Omega 7 from Sea Buckthorn IS good for Metabolic Health

By Seabuck Staff , published May 18, 2018

 

 

 

We've been North America's #1 purveyor of sea buckthorn oil for over 20 years. One of the reasons we chose to share this amazing natural oil with the world, is that it's excellent for health and wellness.

For the past few years, critics have claimed that the benefits of omega 7 (palmitoleic acid) are negated by the palmitic acid content in sea buckthorn oil. They claimed that isolated omega 7 (from fish) was the best way to get the fatty acid. 

Metabolic Damage From Sea Buckthorn?

These claims went as far to say that sea buckthorn could cause metabolic damage and that unlike fish oil- could not be helpful in fighting metabolic syndrome. These claims have never been substantiated, and even more proof has come out in the past year that omega 7 from sea buckthorn is not only safe- but may even prevent chronic metabolic and inflammatory disorders.

Naysayers have claimed that too much palmitic acid causes inflammation in the body. However, the human body knows what to do with too much palmitic acid. Palmitic acid can be converted to palmitoleic acid (16:1n‐7) in a reaction catalyzed by delta‐9 desaturase, often called stearoyl‐CoA desaturase‐1 (SCD‐1). In short, our bodies convert palmitic acid into omega 7.

 

Sea buckthorn oil is a safe source of Omega 7

While more human studies need to be done on the subject- researchers are now seeing that omega 7 palmitoleic acid has been shown to improve glucose metabolism, restore glucose intolerance, induce oxidative metabolism, and reduce inflammation.

The most important part of this study for us is that researchers cite sea buckthorn oil as a top source of Omega 7. In fact, it states that good sources of Omega 7 include sea buckthorn and only mentions fish oil as a side note.

“This little known fatty acid is intriguing,” says one of the researchers “having been shown to improve insulin function and reduce inflammation and fatty liver in animals. We are excited to contribute to the body of research on palmitoleic acid.”

Worried About Palmitic Acid in Sea Buckthorn Oil?

If you've heard some of these claims and you're feeling skeptical, ask yourself this question: have you ever eaten olive oil?

Most likely, your answer to this question is going to be "yes". Do you remember seeing any warning labels about the palmitic acid levels on your olive oil package? No, there's no warning label on your olive oil. 

Virtually anything on earth with high amounts of fat also contains a fatty acid called palmitic acid. Sea buckthorn oil also contains palmitic acid. There have been studies showing that high, concentrated amounts of palmitic acid may lead to inflammation in the body.

There also seems to be some correlation between palmitic acid, inflammation and people who are obese or on high fat diets. We certainly wouldn't argue against these studies. However, the palmitic that is naturally found in sea buckthorn is nothing like the concentrated, high amounts of palmitic acid that is used in lab testing.

If you were to get an isolated, concentrated amount of palmitic acid into your body somehow-sure it could probably do some damage. The honest truth is that the natural amount of palmitic acid that is found in sea buckthorn oil is nothing to worry about!

 

References:

Is Palmitoleic Acid a Plausible Nonpharmacological Strategy to Prevent or Control Chronic Metabolic and Inflammatory Disorders?Camila O. de Souza  Gretchen K. Vannice  José C. Rosa Neto  Philip C. CalderFirst published: 05 October 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201700504 Cited by: 2