ABSTRACT
EVENING primrose oil (EPO) is currently the best available natural triacyl-glycerol source for exogenous (supplemental) gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is an 18-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with three double bonds. GLA is derived from the 18-carbon PUFA, linoleic acid (LA), with two double bonds. The additional double bond in GLA vs. LA is not a chemical triviality, but rather a difference of such fundamental biochemical significance that it forms the foundation and rationale for writing this chapter.
