Hemp oil benefits | Essential fatty acids

Want to discover more hemp oil benefits? KANAPU Hemp Oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and contains essential fatty acids which cannot be synthesised by human, namely the alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA). Hemp oil is also an abundant source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, at the perfectly balanced 1:4 ratio – optimal for human health.

Read on to discover how polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to support healthy skin and heart health.

Both eczema and acne are chronic inflammatory skin diseases. A diet with an optimal combination of omega-6 fatty acid (GLA) and omega-3 fatty acids has been reported to improve the chronic inflammatory skin diseases. KANAPU Hemp Seed Oil is a good candidate to support chronic skin conditions as it contains around 80 % of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), of which 60 % of PUFAs is omega-6 fatty acids and 15 % PUFAs is omega-3 fatty acids. Regular consumption of hemp seed oil (2 tablespoons per day for 8 weeks) has been found to decrease skin dryness and itchiness, and reduce the use of dermal medication in atopic dermatitis (eczema) patients.

In addition, consuming 400 mg of GLA per day for 10 weeks has been reported to decrease both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions. Consuming 2 teaspoons of KANAPU Hemp Seed Oil (~10 g) or 2 tablespoons of KANAPU Hemp Seed Flakes (~30 g) daily provides around 0.4 g of GLA to support chronic skin inflammation conditions.

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of heart and blood vessels disorders which are associated to the build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis), increased risk of blood clots, and the damage of arteries in organs. The main types of cardiovascular disease are the coronary heart disease, strokes, peripheral arterial disease (blockage in the arteries to the limbs), and aortic disease. Some of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, family history and others. A healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet can lower the risk and manage cardiovascular diseases.

KANAPU Hemp Seed Oil contains mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids and has a low proportion of  saturated fatty acids of the total fatty acid contents. According to American Heart Association, diets rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid can help reducing the bad cholesterol, which can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is referred as the “bad” cholesterol as a high level of LDL cholesterol can build up within the walls of blood vessels and narrow the passageway, potentially triggering heart attack or stroke. In contrast, the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is referred as the “good” cholesterol as HDL cholesterol picks up and carries the excess cholesterol in blood to liver. The liver then breaks down the cholesterol and remove it from the body as a waste product.

A study has shown that consuming 30 mL of hemp seed oil per day (~2 tablespoons) for 14 days decreased the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio¹³. Total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio is used to predict the risk for coronary heart disease. The lower the ratio, the lower the risk for coronary heart disease. In addition, there was a decrement in serum total triglyceride level which could potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, a diet with an omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids ratio of 1:4 has been associated with a 70 % decrease in total mortality rate from cardiovascular disease.