Use Flaxseed as a food, skip the supplements

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* Health and Healing *

Sunday, April 21, 2002 10:43 PM

Use Flaxseed as a food, skip the supplements

 

 

- http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/ds/dsFlaxseed.php -

 

Flaxseed

 

 

Claims, Benefits: Prevents heart disease and cancer.

 

Bottom Line: Flaxseed oil is heart-healthy because it contains

alpha-linolenic acid. Flaxseed itself (ground or whole) also contains lignans,

which may have antioxidant actions and may help protect against certain cancers,

though this is far from certain. Skip flaxseed supplements, though.

 

Full Article, Wellness Letter, May 2002:

 

Flax Facts

 

Do flaxseed muffins fight breast cancer and prostate cancer? Should we all

be eating flaxseeds and using flaxseed oil on our salads? Some people would say

yes, and it’s true that recent research on the potential health benefits of flax

has been promising. But it pays to delve deeper.

 

 

The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fiber from which linen is

woven, as well as seeds and oil. The oil, also called linseed oil, has many

industrial uses—it is an important ingredient in paints, varnishes, and

linoleum, for example. Flaxseed oil also comes in an edible form, sold mostly at

health-food stores. Like olive, canola, and most other plant oils, it is highly

unsaturated and heart-healthy. And flaxseeds have yet another very interesting

component—lignans—which may have anti-cancer properties.

 

 

Plant hormones: cancer protection?

 

 

Lignans are a type of fiber, and at the same time a type of

phytoestrogen—a chemical similar to the human hormone estrogen. Flaxseeds are

the richest source of lignans. When you eat lignans, bacteria in the digestive

tract convert them into estrogen-like substances called enterodiol and

enterolactone, which are thought to have anti-tumor effects. Lignans and other

flaxseed components may also have antioxidant properties—that is, they may

reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals. (Flaxseed oil lacks lignans,

but some processors add them to their oil.)

 

 

Recently small studies of cancer patients who consumed flaxseeds have

produced some encouraging results. In one study men with prostate cancer who ate

an ounce of ground flaxseeds (almost three tablespoons) a day as part of a

very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the

time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery. A similar study of women

awaiting surgery for breast cancer found that those who ate a flaxseed muffin

daily (with about four tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per muffin) had a slower

tumor growth rate. Studies of animals, too, suggest some anti-cancer benefit

from flaxseed. But it’s always difficult to know whether it’s the lignans that

help, or some other element in the flaxseeds. And not all studies have yielded

positive results.

 

 

It is still too early to say that flax can prevent or cure cancer and to

recommended it for that purpose. It’s important to remember that plant

estrogens, like human hormones, are not always benign. At high doses—and no one

knows how much is too much—lignans might turn into cancer promoters. Indeed,

some animal studies have found that high doses of plant estrogens can cause

cancer cells to proliferate. We have no idea where that line—between enough and

too much—might be drawn. All we can do is wait for further developments.

 

 

The heart-healthy side of flax

 

 

Besides lignans, flaxseeds and their oil are also the best food sources of

an essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. " Essential " means we must consume

it, because our bodies cannot manufacture it. Essential fatty acids are

important for cell membranes, blood pressure regulation, and other functions.

Alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3, similar to some of the fatty acids in fish

oil. Like aspirin, omega-3s may reduce blood clotting, thus lessening the chance

of a fatal heart attack. Flaxseeds and their oil may also lower total blood

cholesterol, as well as LDL ( " bad " ) cholesterol. But that should come as no big

surprise, since any highly unsaturated oil will do that, particularly if

substituted for saturated fats. The fiber in flaxseeds may also help against

cholesterol, since it is soluble (similar to that in oats).

 

 

Several population studies have linked a high intake of alpha-linolenic

acid with a reduced risk of heart disease and/or death from heart disease. And a

French study, as we reported in 1999, found that a diet relatively rich in

alpha-linolenic acid greatly reduced the risk of second heart attacks. (The

alpha-linolenic acid in that study did not come from flaxseeds, but from

canola-oil margarine.) Besides flaxseeds and canola oil, alpha-linolenic acid is

also found in soybean oil and walnuts.

 

 

Good food, no magic bullet

 

 

All plant foods, including flax, have good things to offer. Garlic,

onions, tomatoes, broccoli, legumes, and whole grains all have a range of

beneficial chemicals. If you want to add flaxseeds to your diet, that’s a good

idea. But if cheeseburgers are your main source of calories, adding flaxseeds

won’t help much.

 

 

Flaxseeds have a pleasant, nutty flavor and taste good sprinkled on

salads, cooked vegetables, or cereals. The oil is quite tasty, too, though

expensive. Here are some flax tips:

 

 

EGrind the seeds or else chew them very well—whole seeds simply pass

through the body. Grinding the seeds just before using them best preserves

flavor and nutrition, but pre-ground seeds are more convenient. Keep them

refrigerated. There are no nutritional differences between brown and yellow

seeds.

 

 

ECombine flaxseed flour with wheat flour for breads, quickbreads, and

pancakes.

 

 

EReady-made flaxseed breads, muffins, cereals, and breakfast bars can

be found in many stores.

 

 

EThe oil spoils quickly; it comes in dark bottles to extend its shelf

life. Keep it refrigerated, and pay attention to the expiration date.

" Cold-pressed " flaxseed oil is more expensive but no better than other kinds.

 

 

EFlaxseed oil cannot be used for frying or sautéing.

 

 

EPregnant or lactating women should not eat lots of flax.

 

 

EA few people may have allergic reactions to flaxseeds.

 

 

EPass up flaxseed supplements—eat the foods instead.

 

 

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, May 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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