Green Bay, WI—Sea buckthorn helps support heart and metabolic health in overweight women, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have shown sea buckthorn berries—which are rich in omega-7 and antioxidants—to be effective against inflammation; sea buckthorn oil supplementation also proved beneficial against dry eye and atopic dermatitis, and supported the body’s antioxidant activity.

A group of Finnish researchers sought to investigate sea buckthorn’s possible effects on the baseline metabolic profiles of slightly overweight women, which had not previously been studied. In the randomized crossover trial, 80 women were given one of four regimens: dried sea buckthorn berries, sea buckthorn alcohol extract with maltodextrin, bilberries or a combination sea buckthorn seed and berry oil called SBA24. The diets rotated so that each participant followed each diet for 35 days during the study; each diet period was separated by 30–39 day washout periods. Serum samples were collected at the beginning and end of each different diet session and their metabolic profiles were analyzed.

The study results showed a reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides in participants taking SBA24, which proved superior to the bilberries and alcohol extract with maltodextrin for that effect. Though it was not measured in this study, sea buckthorn oil has previously been shown to reduce waist circumference and body weight in previous studies.

Petra S. Larmo, the lead author of the study, suggests that it is the unique and specific combination of the sea buckthorn berry oil and branded seed oil that made the supplement more effective than the other berry options in the study.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, January 2014 (online 11/20/13)