Flaxseed or Flaxseed Oil, which one offers
better health benefits??
Last week, I was amazed at the wide variety of flax-based products- snack
bars, pancakes, cereals, muffins and trail mix in a popular grocery store.
Flaxseed is added as a topping to cereals, salads or yogurt. The seed is
ground up and added to muffins and breads. Some people even looked for
recipe for flaxseed meals in that grocery store. The staff there told me that
people have begun to hear about the reported benefits about flax on heart
health and other conditions such as diabetes and acnes. Flaxseed's outer hull
is difficult to digest. To ensure maximum benefits, you may consider chewing
flaxseed well or simply take flaxseed supplements.

So, what is flaxseed good for? What are its health benefits?
Human studies have shown that flaxseed can modestly reduce serum total and
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, reduce postprandial glucose
absorption, and decrease some markers of inflammation. [2]

What does a flaxseed contain? What are the active ingredients?
Flaxseed contains 32-45% of its mass as oil, of which 51-55% is alpha-linolenic
acid (n-3 fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids). Flaxseed meal was found to be
more beneficial on some chronic conditions such as high triglycerides and liver
steatosis than soy protein meal, in a study of rats. [3] Researchers from
George Washington University Medical Center randomly assigned male
SHR/N-cp rats to diets either 20% casein, 20% soy protein concentrate, or
20% flaxseed meal for 6 months. They found, plasma insulin concentration was
significantly lower in rats fed flaxseed meal than those fed either casein or soy
protein concentrate. [4]

Clinical studies have shown that intake of flaxseed or secoisolariciresinol
diglucoside isolated from defatted flaxseeds was associated with lowered
serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, while flaxseed oil alone in human
subjects had no effects on the lipid profiles. [1] Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside
is an important ingredient for flaxseed's lipid-lowering effect.
            
             Benefits of Flaxseed Meal
               Benefits of Flaxseed Oil

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ZHION 2007 [1] Prasad K. Flaxseed: a source of
hypocholesterolemic and antiatherogenic agents. Drug News Perspect. 2000
Mar;13(2):99-104. [2] Bloedon LT, Szapary PO. Flaxseed and cardiovascular
risk. Nutr Rev. 2004 Jan;62(1):18-27. [3] Bhathena SJ, et al, Dietary flaxseed
meal is more protective than soy protein concentrate against
hypertriglyceridemia and steatosis of the liver in an animal model of obesity. J
Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Apr;22(2):157-64. [4] Velasquez MT, et al, Dietary flaxseed
meal reduces proteinuria and ameliorates nephropathy in an animal model of
type II diabetes mellitus. Kidney Int. 2003 Dec;64(6):2100-7.
Flaxseed

Why is flaxseed meal getting popular? What is its benefits? Flaxseed meal was found
to be more beneficial on some chronic conditions such as high triglycerides and liver
steatosis than soy protein meal, in a study of rats.

Flaxseed or Flaxseed oil, which one offers better health benefits? Flaxseed oil alone
in human subjects had no effects on the lipid profiles in some studies.

Why are lignans so important in flaxseed?
ingestion of flaxseed rich in lignans (matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol) improves
glucose control and insulin resistance.

What are the health benefits of flaxseed oil?
Flaxseed oil has been shown benefits on lowering heart
diseases by reducing cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and slowing down
atherosclerosis.
Discuss with your doctor before taking any alternative medicine. This article is for
reference only, it is not a medical advice. All rights reserved. Do not copy this article to
other website or blog.