Flax Seed Oil Supplements
Description
Flax seed oil (linseed oil) is the oil obtained from the dried ripe seed. It is a rich source of essential fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid, which are necessary for growth and maintenance of the cells.
Flax (linum usitatissimum), one of the world's most ancient cultivated plants, offers significant benefit in many diseases linked to modern living, including the 3 major killers of Americans: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Medicinally it is used as an emollient (for its soothing properties) and in veterinary medicine as a laxative. Flax seed oil is rich in both omega-3 fatty acids and lignans.
Lignans
Flax seeds are the most abundant source of compounds (secoisolariciresinol diglucosoide and matairesinol) that can be converted by bacteria in the gut to lignans, which have estrogen-like properties. Flax seed produces between 75 and 800 times as much as other grain foods studied (namely, buckwheat, millet, oats, rye, soy beans and wheat bran).
Lignans are revealing impressive health benefits including: antibacterial, anticancer (probably the most important), antifungal, and antiviral activity as well as relieving menopausal hot flashes. Flax oil high in lignan may, therefore, be the best choice for women going through menopause or at risk for breast cancer.
Not all Flax seed oil is created equal.
There is tremendous variation in quality and purity as a result of differences in how the oil is obtained. Most Flax seed oils are produced by mechanically pressing out the oil through an expeller. During this process, a tremendous amount of pressure and heat can be generated. The higher the heat, the better the yield of oil. Temperatures generally reach 200 degrees F. Interestingly, flax oil processed in this manner can still be referred to as cold-pressed because no external source of heat was added.
Although high temperatures will provide a greater quantity of oil, they produce a lower quality oil. Many manufacturers will sacrifice quality for quantity. However, consumers must be aware that because flax oil is a highly polyunsaturated oil, it is extremely susceptible to damage by heat, light, and oxygen. Once damaged, the oil is a rich source of toxic molecules known as lipid peroxides. These molecules can actually do the body harm and should not be ingested. Lipid peroxides are associated with an extremely bitter taste and rancidity. One of the best ways to measure quality is by taste.
The degree of bitterness is a close approximation of the level of lipid peroxides. A high quality Flax seed oil will have a delicious, nutty flavor making it easy to incorporate one or two tablespoons into your daily diet as a salad dressing or flavoring. Here are some general guidelines to follow in selecting a good Flax seed oil product:
· Make sure the oil is certified organic Flax seed .
· Non-organic seed oil may contain pesticides and herbicides.
· Use fresh oil not past its expiration date.
· Buy oil marked: "Expeller-pressed".
· To gain more benefit, use Flax seed oil high in lignans.
Flax oil and fish oils
While much of the research has featured fish oils, (which is made up of EPA and docosahexanoic acid, or DHA) these can also be manufactured in the body from the chief fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid) found in Flax seed oil.
A recent clinical study demonstrated that approximately 1½ tablespoons of Flax seed oil increased tissue levels of EPA, comparable to using fish oils. The key to achieving high tissue levels with Flax seed oil is restricting omega-6 oil intake, simply by eliminating vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid.
Flaxseed has approval status by the German Commission E. However, the mucilage may affect absorption of other drugs.
Abstracts
Cancer
Flaxseed may help to prevent cancerous tumor development by reducing blood levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1), a chemical that is associated with increased risk for breast cancer. Researchers fed rats with flaxseed or a flaxseed component (called lignan secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, or SDG), with or without mammary tumor induction (by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea). While flaxseed and SDG reduced IGF-1 levels in both groups, this reduction was more prominent in the rats with induced mammary tumors.
Rickard SE, Yuan YV, Thompson LU: Plasma insulin-like growth factor I levels in rats are reduced by dietary supplementation of flaxseed or its lignan secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, Cancer Lett 2000 Dec 8;161(1):47-55
LDL cholesterol
Partially defatted flaxseed may lower LDL cholesterol. A randomized, crossover trial of two 3-week periods involving twenty-nine hyperlipidemic subjects was conducted to evaluate potential health benefits of flaxseed oil. Subjects were given muffins, which contained either flaxseed or wheat bran (control), in addition to consuming a standard cholesterol education diet. Partially defatted flaxseed reduced total cholesterol by 4.6% and LDL cholesterol by 7.6%. HDL cholesterol was unchanged. Flaxseed may be beneficial in lowering LDL cholesterol.
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Vidgen E, Agarwal S, Rao AV, Rosenberg RS, Diamandis EP, Novokmet R, Mehling CC, Perera T, Griffin LC, Cunnane SC: Health aspects of partially defatted flaxseed, including effects on serum lipids, oxidative measures, and ex vivo androgen and progestin activity: a controlled crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr 1999 Mar; 69(3): 395-402
References:
Allman, M. A. et al. , Supplementation with Flax seed oil versus sunflower seed oil in healthy young men consuming a low fat diet. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1995, 49(3): 169 - 178.
Alonso, L. et al. , Anaphylaxis caused by linseed (Flax seed ) intake. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 1996, 98(2): 469 - 470.
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
Bodenbach, D. : Flax seed Oil: filling a vital need. Health Perspectives. 1995, 1(1): 1, 3.
Caughey, G. E. et al. , The effect on human tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 1 beta production of diets enriched in n-3 fatty acids from vegetable oil or fish oil. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1996, 63(1): 116-122.
Erasmus, U. : Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill. Alive Books, Burnaby, BC, Canada, 1986.
Jonnalagadda, S. S. et al. , Effects of individual fatty acids on chronic diseases. Nutrition Today, 1996, 31(3): 90 - 106.
Mantzioris, E. et al. , Nutriitonal attributes of dietary Flax seed oil. (letter, comment] Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1995, 62(4): 841 - 842.
Passwater, Richard A. & Mindell. Earl L. : EPA-Marine Lipids. Keats Publishing, Inc. , New Canaan, Connecticut, 1982.
Thompson, L. U. et al. , Flax seed and its lignan and oil components reduce mammary tumor growth at a late stage of carcinogenesis. carcinogenesis. 1996, 17(6): 1,373 - 1,376.
Ziegler, J. : Just the flax Ma'am: researchers testing linseed. J of the National Cancer Institute. 1994, 86(23): 1,746 - 1,748.
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