What is Ahiflower oil?

Ahiflower oil is a plant-based omega, also called “refined Buglossoides arvensis oil”,  which is a new dietary oil extracted from seeds of a regeneratively grown non-GMO crop. Ahiflower oil has a uniquely rich and balanced omega profile, a clean and appealing taste, and it has clinically proven-health benefits.

Why should I take Ahiflower oil?

As doctors and nutritionists frequently remind us, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential to cellular functioning and need to be obtained from our diets in the right balance. However, the standard Western diet is characterized by a big imbalance in omegas: our processed, ready-to-eat foods have too much of the omega-6’s and not enough of the omega-3’s typically found in oily fish like sardines or salmon, in certain nuts (like walnuts), and certain dietary oils. Steadily over time this imbalance of omega-6’s contributes to an accumulating pro-inflammatory state in the body linked to a number of chronic and metabolic health challenges. This challenge starts to resolve when we re-balance our omega fat intake ratio towards omega-3’s over omega-6’s. But, especially for vegans and vegetarians, there is a smaller number of efficient and tasty ways to accomplish this. This is where Ahiflower comes in!

Where does Ahiflower grow?

Ahiflower is grown regeneratively in the UK. Regenerative farming is a measurable way of giving back more to the soil and environment than it takes to yield up a certain crop. Ideally, we would all want the plant-based foods and supplements we consume for our own health to reinforce healthy farming and soil ecosystems. That way our personal quests for greater health actually combine to build greater regional biodiversity, cleaner water and air, and soil fertility where our healthy products are grown. Ahiflower is produced this way, fully traceably back to the UK farms where the oilseed crops are grown. By using Ahiflower oil, you’re meeting your omega nutritional needs fully while reducing pressure on marine stocks from the oceans.

Check out Ahiflower farmer Simon Parrish’s Essex UK farming operation here.

Ahiflower Oil - The plant-based omega

Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important for human health because of their anti-inflammatory cellular support properties. Alpha-linolenic (ALA) is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that we need to obtain from our diet. Two other well-studied omega-3 fatty acids are Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), for which an adequate intake can be linked with a positive influence on cardiovascular, brain, and immune wellness. EPA and DHA are mainly consumed from fish sources—sardines, menhaden, anchovies, and krill. Ahiflower is the plant-based alternative.

After we consume ALA, it is converted in our livers into longer-chain more bioavailable and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: Metabolism of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids. 

Many vegetable oils contain ALA, and so does Ahiflower. In contrast to other plant-based ALA sources like flaxseed or chia seed oil, Ahiflower also contains another crucial omega-3 fatty acid: Stearidonic acid (SDA). SDA is also converted by the body into longer-chain omega-3’s like EPA, yet this conversion is up to 4 times more efficient than with flaxseed oil.

What about omega-6?

Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential in a healthy diet. Unlike omega 3’s, their excessive consumption has an overall pro-inflammatory effect on the body. This is especially true when we consume excess high-LA oils via deep-fried and other highly processed foods that contain little or no omega-3’s. To their credit, high LA oils like sunflower and safflower oils boost good cholesterol (HDL) and lower the bad ones (LDL). But balance is the key.

Research on Ahiflower Oil: The plant-based Omega 

Ahiflower’s producers, Natures Crops International, have insisted on leading the scientific understanding of Ahiflower oil’s safety and efficacy in people. In 2016 and 2017, two randomized human clinical trials were conducted in healthy men and women. The first trial proved that Ahiflower oil was safe at high intake levels (>9 g/day) and converted readily to circulating EPA far more efficiently than flaxseed oil.

The second trial also showed significant increases in circulating EPA levels after 28 days, starting with low dosages typical of omega dietary supplements (2-3 g/day), confirming Ahiflower oil’s superiority among plant-based omega-3 sources. Further, this study also found the first evidence that Ahiflower oil has specific effect in humans by boosting the body’s natural anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, a first for an SDA-rich plant-based dietary oil.