No, borage oil is not known to directly add body fat, though softgels add calories and some people notice bloating or fluid shifts.
Borage oil gets pitched for skin comfort, joint pain, and hormone-related symptoms. That can make a sudden jump on the scale feel alarming. If you started the supplement and your weight moved, the first thing to know is this: there is no solid clinical evidence showing borage oil itself causes fat gain.
That said, “weight gain” can mean a few different things. It might be a small calorie bump from the oil itself. It might be water retention, stomach fullness, or plain timing. Many people start a new supplement while other habits are changing too, so it is easy to pin the blame on one capsule.
This article sorts out what borage oil can and can’t do, when a scale change is likely harmless, and when it is smart to stop and call your doctor.
Can Borage Oil Cause Weight Gain? What Evidence Shows
Borage oil is pressed from the seeds of Borago officinalis. It is rich in gamma-linolenic acid, often shortened to GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid. Research on borage oil has focused on symptom relief in areas such as rheumatoid arthritis and eczema, not on body weight. The better-known medical sources do not list weight gain as a standard, expected effect.
That does not mean a person can never gain weight while taking it. It means the oil has not been shown to trigger fat gain in a clear, repeatable way. A few people may notice changes that feel like weight gain, yet those changes often come from one of these routes:
- Extra calories from the softgels
- Fluid retention or a puffy feeling
- Stomach bloating or slower digestion after a fatty capsule
- Normal day-to-day swings that just happened to start at the same time
- Another medicine, diet change, or hormone shift happening in the background
There is also a bigger issue than the scale. Safety reviews put more focus on liver risk from contaminated products, bleeding risk with certain drugs, and stomach upset than on any body-weight effect. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s page on borage safety and side effects is a useful check on that point.
Borage Oil And Weight Gain: What Usually Explains The Change
The capsules do contain calories
This part is simple. Borage oil is still oil. Oil carries calories. A typical 1,000 mg softgel can contain about 10 calories, based on listings in the NIH’s Dietary Supplement Label Database. One capsule a day will not do much on its own. Three capsules a day over months can add up a little, though it is still a small amount next to common food habits like sweet drinks, snacks, or large portions.
So yes, there is a calorie angle. No, it is not a dramatic one for most people.
Bloating can feel like weight gain
Some people do not feel great after oily softgels. Mild stomach upset, gas, or abdominal fullness can make your waist feel tighter and the scale read a bit higher for a day or two. That is not the same as adding body fat. It is more like carrying extra water and food weight in the gut.
If the jump is small and shows up fast, that points more toward bloat than true fat gain. Body fat does not pile on overnight from a single supplement unless the rest of the diet changed in a big way too.
Hormones and timing can muddy the picture
Many people try borage oil around PMS, menopause symptoms, skin flares, or inflammatory pain. Those phases can already come with water retention, appetite swings, and less activity. The supplement then gets blamed for a shift that may have happened anyway.
This is why a short note on timing helps. Track when you started the oil, what dose you used, and what else changed that same week. That gives you a cleaner read than a single weigh-in.
What Research Says About Borage Oil Use
The research story around borage oil is mixed. Some small studies suggest GLA-rich oils may help with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. For eczema, the picture is far less convincing. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that evidence does not support oral borage oil for eczema, and it says only a few studies have been done for rheumatoid arthritis relief with GLA-containing oils. You can read that in NCCIH’s pages on skin conditions and complementary health approaches and its rheumatoid arthritis guidance.
That matters for a weight-gain question because it puts the supplement in the right lane. Borage oil is not a proven metabolism tool. It is not a weight-loss aid. It is not a muscle-building supplement. If someone is taking it, the aim is usually symptom relief, not body composition change.
| What People Notice | What It Often Means | What To Do Next |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 pounds up within a day or two | Water, gut content, or bloating | Watch for 3–5 days and note meals, salt, cycle timing, and bowel habits |
| Steady gain over weeks | Total calorie surplus, lower activity, or another health factor | Check dose, food intake, routine, and any new medicines |
| Puffy belly after each dose | Digestive irritation from oily capsules | Take with food, lower the dose, or stop if it keeps happening |
| Ankles, hands, or face look swollen | Fluid retention that needs a closer look | Stop self-testing and call your doctor |
| No change on the scale, clothes feel snug | Bloating more than fat gain | Track waist feel, bowel pattern, and meal timing |
| Weight rises after starting several new products | Hard to pin on one item | Strip back to basics and recheck one change at a time |
| Weight jumps with shortness of breath or rash | Possible adverse reaction | Get medical care right away |
| No symptom relief after weeks of use | Little reason to keep taking it | Talk with your doctor about safer or better-studied options |
Who Should Be More Careful With Borage Oil
Weight gain is not the main red flag. Product quality and drug interactions matter more. Borage oil can be a poor fit for some people, even when the scale stays flat.
People taking blood thinners
Borage may raise bleeding risk when used with anticoagulants or similar drugs. If you take warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, or regular high-dose aspirin, do not treat this as a harmless add-on.
People with liver disease or heavy alcohol use
Some borage products can contain unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids unless they are purified. Those compounds can injure the liver. This is one of the clearest safety points around borage oil.
Pregnant or breastfeeding people
Because of the contamination risk and the lack of strong safety data, this is not a supplement to start on your own.
Anyone with a history of stomach sensitivity
If fish oil or oily supplements already leave you burping, bloated, or queasy, borage oil may do the same. In that case, a “weight gain” complaint may really be a digestion complaint.
How To Tell If Borage Oil Is Really Behind The Change
If you want a fair answer, use a simple test window. Keep it boring. Boring is good here.
- Weigh yourself under the same conditions for 7 to 10 days. Morning, after the bathroom, before breakfast.
- Write down the dose and brand.
- Note any stomach symptoms, swelling, cycle timing, and salt-heavy meals.
- Do not start other new supplements at the same time.
- If symptoms show up, stop the product and see whether they settle within several days.
This kind of log will tell you much more than trying to guess from memory. It also helps your doctor sort out whether the change fits bloating, fluid retention, or a broader health issue.
| Situation | Likely Read | Best Move |
|---|---|---|
| Small, fast scale bump with gas or fullness | Bloating is more likely than fat gain | Pause the supplement and recheck in a few days |
| Gradual gain with no stomach symptoms | Look at full diet and activity first | Track calories, portions, and daily movement |
| Gain plus swelling, bruising, or fatigue | Side effect or another medical issue needs a closer look | Call your doctor soon |
| No gain, no symptom relief | Little upside from staying on it | Ask about another option with better evidence |
When To Stop And Call Your Doctor
Do not keep pushing through symptoms just because the product is sold as “natural.” Call your doctor if you get rapid swelling, yellowing of the skin or eyes, easy bruising, dark urine, unusual bleeding, severe stomach pain, or a steady upward trend on the scale that does not fit your eating pattern.
A good rule is this: if the change feels bigger than a simple puffiness issue, stop guessing. A supplement should not leave you feeling worse and still earn a spot in your routine.
What Most Readers Need To Know
Borage oil is not known to directly cause fat gain. The more likely reasons for a scale change are the calories in the oil, belly bloating, fluid shifts, or another factor that started at the same time. A single softgel does contain calories, but not enough to explain a sharp jump by itself.
If your weight rose right after starting borage oil, check the pattern before blaming the supplement for body fat gain. Fast jumps point more toward water or digestion. Slow, steady gain points more toward the full routine around food, movement, hormones, sleep, and other medicines.
If you are taking the oil for eczema, the evidence is weak. If you are taking it for rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, there may be some benefit for a few people, though the research base is still limited. Either way, safety and product quality matter more than most supplement labels let on.
References & Sources
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.“Borage.”Lists common uses, drug interaction cautions, and liver safety concerns tied to contaminated products.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.“Borage Oil” supplement label entry in the Dietary Supplement Label Database.Shows a typical 1,000 mg softgel can provide about 10 calories and 1 gram of fat.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.“Skin Conditions and Complementary Health Approaches.”Notes that oral borage oil has not shown clinical benefit for atopic eczema in reviewed research.