Omega-7 fatty acid is an unsaturated fatty acid that is found in some fish, including anchovy, and salmon, as well as olive oil, macadamia oil and sea buckthorn oil. Palmitoleic acid is one of the most common forms of Omega-7s. Omega-7s have gotten a lot of attention for their health benefits.

The following benefits have been studied.

Mucous Membrane Health

One of the critical benefits of this supplement is its positive effect on mucous membranes. With oral supplementation of Omega-7, many chronic dryness issues can be improved, such as dry eye and mouth dryness. If you have long suffered the irritation of dry eye syndrome, supplementing with Omega-7 could be the answer.

Dry eye syndrome affects approximately 5 million people in America over the age of 50. The correct balance of fatty acids is necessary for optimum eye health. One of the major reasons we get dry eye as we age is that the moisture level of the eyes change as we age. But lifestyle will affect dry eye as well. If you sit at the computer all day, work outside or have allergies, you can also suffer from dry eye.

Fortunately, studies indicate that Omega-7 can help to relieve dry eye syndrome. A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study that had 100 men and women from 20 to 75 that had dry eye symptoms. For three months, 50% of the participants were supplemented with Omega-7 supplements. The burning and redness of dry eye was lower with the group that received supplements than the control group.

Experts believe Omega-7 is helpful for dry eye syndrome because it can reduce inflammation, and also can increase tear secretion at the same time. Fatty acids also may help to build the quality of the tear film that is produced by the meibomian glands. The lipids in that film prevents water and moisture loss from your eyes.

Hair, Skin and Nails

Omega-7 has developed a good reputation for nourishing, healing and beautifying skin, hair and nails, both inside and outside. This can be seen quite well in many natural food stores; sea buckthorn is a strong source of this fatty acid and is often added to a variety of hair car, skin care and various personal care products. Consumers increasingly are noticing the benefits to the hair and skin and nails that Omega-7 provides.

Managing Weight

Some experts say Omega-7 can be a valuable addition to your weight management system. A study was done where mice were fed a high fat diet, with one supplemented with sea buckthorn oil and the other was not. One of the mice became obese and the other stayed slim. The one with the Omega-7 stayed thin. It is thought that the fatty acid tells the body to cease the storage of fat, but it is not clearly understood why this is.

Gastrointestinal Tract

Omega-7 also is effective for lubricating and nourishing mucous membranes so they may function properly. This could be a reason that many people have noticed benefits when they take sea buckthorn. Some studies have show that adding Omega-7 to the diet can also help people who have constipation.

Other Benefits of Omega-7 Supplements

Clinical science has shown these other encouraging benefits of Omega-7. If you want to live a healthy and productive life, you may want to consider making an Omega-7 supplement part of your daily routine.

• Supports Health Levels of LDL: One of the biggest causes of heart disease is low density lipoprotein LDL, also known as bad cholesterol. Like many substances we absorb in the foods we eat, LDL helps us in small amounts but is hazardous in larger quantities. As we age, the cells that line the inside of the blood vessels in the heart can rupture more easily, and LDL is needed to repair the cells. But large amounts of LDL in the diet can block blood cells that form plaque on the walls.
• Supports Health Levels of HDL: You can reduce your risk of heart disease by boosting your level of high density lipoprotein or HDL. This type of cholesterol cleans the arteries of bad cholesterol by breaking it down and sending it to the liver, which then can flush the excess LDL from the system. Omega-7 is though to increase HDL levels so the bad cholesterol can be eliminated with better efficiency.
• Supports Health Triglyceride Levels: Having your triglycerides balanced is highly beneficial to the heart, and for the body as a whole. If triglycerides become too high, it can cause problems with the heart, and there is a higher risk of gaining fat in the liver, which can cause diabetes.

Omega-7 has been shown through current research to be highly beneficial for many medical conditions, from dry eye syndrome to heart disease.

References

• Mahmood, Ammar, Essential Fatty Acids in the Treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. (2014, July). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4181435/
• Griel, Amy E, Cao Yumei, Deborah D Bagshaw, Amy M Cifelli, Bruce Holub, and Penny M Kris-Etherton. “A Macadamia nut-rich diet reduces total and LDL-cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterlemic men and women”, The American Journal of Nutrition. American Society for Nutrition, 2008. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/4/761
• Matthan, Nirupa R, A Dillard, JL Lecker, B Ip, and AH Lichtenstein. “Effects of dietary palmitoleic acid plasma lipoprotein profile and aortic cholesterol accumulation are similar to those of other unsaturated fatty acids”, The American Journal of Nutrition. The American Institute of Nutrition, 2009. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/139/2/215.full
• Zhi-Hong Yang, Hiroko Miyahara, and Akimasa Hatanaka. “Chronic administration of palmitoleic acid reduces insulin resistance and hepatic lipid accumulation in KK-Ay mice with genetic type 2 diabetes”, Lipids in Health and Disease. Nippon Suisan Kaisha, 2011. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3155149/