Comparison of borage oil and sunflower oil according to the efficacy for the treatment of women with cyclical mastalgia

Cyclical mastalgia is a frequent condition and represents an exacerbation of the physiological process, recurring in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. When it is intense, it impairs a woman's quality of life, because if interferes on her daily activities. In order to make a comparative evaluation of the effectiveness and adverse effects of borage and sunflower oils in the treatment of moderate to severe cyclical mastalgia, a double-blind randomized study of clinical trial type was carried out between February 2001 and December 2002 involving 111 women. The intensity of breast pain was assessed on a monthly basis by means of the analogic visual scale. The participants were subdivided as follows into two groups according to the drug administered: 56 were given borage oil tablets and 55 sunflower oil, 1 tablet per day for both groups over a period of three months. At the end of the treatment, the evolution in the intensity of the pain of each patient was compared with the Cardiff Breast Score for an assessment of the responsiveness to treatment. The responsiveness rates were 71.4% and 76.4%, respectively for the borage and sunflower oil groups, no statistically significant differences being found. Although headache, perceived stress and mammary edema had reduzed in both groups; uterine bleeding occurred in three patients, as a serious side effect of sunflower oil. Further studies, however, are needed to determine the cost-benefit ratio of sunflower oil.