The Benefits of Flaxseed
Is flaxseed the new wonder food?
Preliminary studies show that it may help fight heart disease, diabetes and
breast cancer.
Some call it one of the most powerful
plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk
of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s
quite a tall order for a tiny seed that’s been around for centuries.
flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its primary
healthy reputation to three of them:
·
Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been
shown to have heart-healthy
effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant
omega-3s.
·
·
Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities.
Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
·
Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and
insoluble types.
The Health Benefits of
Flax
Although Lilian Thompson, PhD, an
internationally known flaxseed researcher from the University of Toronto
Recent studies have suggested that
flaxseed may have a protective effect against breast cancer, prostate
cancer, and colon cancer. At least two of the components in
flaxseed seem to contribute, says Kelley C. Fitzpatrick, director of health and nutrition with the Flax Council of Canada.
In animal studies, the plant omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed,
called ALA
The lignans in flaxseed may provide some protection
against cancers that are sensitive to hormones without interfering with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen.
Thompson says some studies have
suggested that exposure to lignans during adolescence helps reduce the risk of breast cancer and
may also increase the survival of breast cancer patients.
Lignans may help protect against cancer by
blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and
interfering with the growth and spread of tumor cells.
Some of the other components in
flaxseed also have antioxidant properties, which may contribute to protection
against cancer and heart disease.
Research suggests that plant omega-3s
help the cardiovascular system through several different mechanisms, including
anti-inflammatory action and normalizing the heartbeat. Fitzpatrick says new
research also suggests significant blood pressure-lowering effects of flaxseed. Those
effects may be due to both the omega-3 fatty acids as well as the amino acid
groups found in flaxseed.
Several studies have suggested that
diets rich in flaxseed omega-3s help prevent hardening of the arteries and
keep plaque from being deposited in the arteries partly by keeping white blood cells from
sticking to the blood vessels’
inner linings.
"Lignans in flaxseed have been shown to reduce atherosclerotic
plaque buildup by up to 75%," Fitzpatrick says.
Because plant omega-3s may also play a
role in maintaining the heart’s natural rhythm, they may be useful in treating arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and heart failure.
More research is needed on this.
Eating
flaxseed daily may also help your cholesterol levels. The level of LDL or
"bad"cholesterol in
the bloodstream has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease,obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
A study of menopausal women showed a decrease
in LDL level
after the women ate 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed each day for a year.
Fitzpatrick says the cholesterol-lowering effects of flaxseed are the result
of the combined benefits of the omega-3 ALA
Preliminary research also suggests
that daily intake of the lignans in flaxseed may modestly improve blood sugar (as measured by hemoglobin A1c blood
tests in adults with type 2
diabetes).
Inflammation
Two components in flaxseed, ALA
Reducing inflammation associated with
plaque buildup in the arteries may be another way flaxseed helps prevent heart attack and
strokes.
One study of
menopausal women, published in 2007, reported that 2 tablespoons of ground
flaxseed mixed into cereal, juice, or yogurt twice a day cut their hot flashes
in half. The intensity of their hot flashes also dropped by 57%.
The women noticed
a difference after taking the daily flaxseed for just one week and achieved the
maximum benefit within two weeks.
But another study reported no
significant reduction in hot flashes between postmenopausal women and breast cancer
patients eating a bar containing 410 milligrams of phytoestrogens from ground
flaxseed and women eating a placebo bar.
The results,
says Thompson, are consistent with other studies that have shown no siginifcant
difference in the effect on hot flashes between flaxseed and placebo
Flaxseed Isn't a Magic Bullet
It's tempting to
think of flaxseed as a super food because of its many potential health
benefits. But keep in mind there is no magic food or nutrient that guarantees
improved health.
What matters is
consistently making great dietary choices as part of an overall healthy
lifestyle.
Who Shouldn’t Use Flaxseed?
Until more is known, Thompson says, pregnant women and possibly breastfeedingmothers should not supplement their diets
with ground flaxseed.
"Our own animal studies showed
that flaxseed exposure during these stages may be protective against breast cancer
in the offspring. But a study of another investigator showed the opposite
effect," Thompson says.
Tips for Using Flaxseed
Many experts
believe it's better to consume flaxseed than flax oil (which contains just part
of the seed) so you get all the components. But stay tuned as researchers
continue to investigate.
Thompson says, "Ground flaxseed, in general, is a great first
choice, but there may be specific situations where flax oil or the lignans
(taken in amounts naturally found in flaxseed) might be as good."
How much flaxseed do you need? The
optimum dose to obtain health benefits is not yet known. But 1 to 2 tablespoons
of ground flaxseed a day is currently the suggested dose, according to the Flax
Council of Canada.
Here are more tips for using, buying, and
storing flaxseed:
·
Buy it ground or grind it yourself.
·
·
Flaxseed, when eaten whole, is more likely to
pass through the intestinal tract undigested,
which means your body doesn't get all the healthful components. If you want to
grind flaxseed yourself, those little electric coffee grinders seem to work
best.
·
Milled = ground = flax meal.
·
·
Don’t be
confused by the different product names for ground flaxseed. Milled or ground
flaxseed is the same thing as flax meal.
·
Buy either brown
or golden flaxseed.
·
·
Golden flaxseed is easier on the eyes, but brown flaxseed is easier to find in most
supermarkets. There is very little difference nutritionally between the two, so
the choice is up to you.
·
Find it in stores or on the Internet.
·
·
Many supermarket chains now carry ground
flaxseed (or flax meal). It’s usually in the flour or "grain" aisle
or the whole-grain cereal section and is often sold in 1-pound bags. You can
also find it in health food stores or order it on various web sites.
·
Check the product label.
·
·
When buying products containing flaxseed, check the label to
make sure ground flaxseed, not whole flaxseed, was added. Flaxseed is a
featured ingredient in cereals, pasta, whole grain breads and crackers, energy
bars, meatless meal products, and snack foods.
·
Add flaxseed to a food you habitually
eat. Every
time you have a certain food, like oatmeal, smoothies, soup, or yogurt, stir in
a couple tablespoons of ground flaxseed. Soon it will be a habit and you won’t
have to think about it, you’ll just do it.
·
Hide flaxseed in dark, moist dishes. The dishes that hide flaxseed the best are
dark sauces or meat mixtures. No one tends to notice flaxseed when it's stirred
into enchilada casserole, chicken parmesan, chili, beef stew, meatloaf, or
meatballs. For a 4-serving casserole, you can usually get away with adding 2 to
4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. For a dish serving 6 to 8, use 4 to 8
tablespoons.
·
Use
it in baking.
·
·
Substitute ground flaxseed for part of the
flour in recipes for quick breads, muffins, rolls,
bread, bagels, pancakes, and waffles. Try replacing 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the flour
with ground flaxseed if the recipe calls for 2 or more cups of flour.
·
·
Keep it in the freezer.
·
·
, The best place to store ground flaxseed is
the freezer. Freeze pre-ground flaxseed in the bag you bought it in or in a
plastic sealable bag if you ground it yourself. The freezer will keep the
ground flax from oxidizing and losing its nutritional potency.
·
Whole flaxseed keeps longer.
·
·
The outside shell in whole flaxseed
appears to keep the fatty acids inside well protected. It’s a good idea to keep
your whole flaxseed in a dark, cool place until you grind it. But as long as it
is dry and of good quality, whole flaxseed can be stored at room temperature
for up to a year.
Flaxseed Recipe
Ready to try flaxseed? Here’s a
recipe to get you started from The Flax Cookbook: Recipes and Strategies for Getting The Most
from The Most Powerful Plant on the Planet.
Fruity Flaxseed Muffins
These moist and high-flavor flax muffins are not only good for you, but
they taste great too.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice, canned
1/2 cup finely chopped apples (with peel)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg, higher omega-3 if available, beaten lightly
2 egg whites (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1
cup fat free sour cream
1/4
cup dark molasses
1/2 cup raisins, currants (or
any other dried fruit, chopped)
1
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
Directions:
·
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin
pan with paper or foil liners. Coat inside of liners with a quick squirt of
canola cooking spray.
·
·
In large mixing bowl, beat together
the pineapple with juice, apples, canola oil, egg, egg whites or egg
substitute, sour cream, and molasses until mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in
raisins or dried fruit.
·
·
In medium bowl, whisk together
flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flaxseed.
·
Add flaxseed mixture to sour cream
mixture, beating on low speed just until combined (batter will be a little
lumpy). Spoon batter by 1/4 cupful into prepared muffin pan.
·
Bake in center of preheated oven for
about 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and springy to the touch.
Yield: 12 muffins
Nutritional
Analysis: Per muffin: 194 calories,
5 g protein,
31 g carbohydrate,
5.5 g fat,
.8 g saturated fat
, 2.1 g
monounsaturated fat
, 2.6 g
polyunsaturated fat
, 20 mgcholesterol,
4.5 g fiber, 224 mg sodium,
1.7 g
omega-3 fatty acids.
Calories from fat: 28%.
Recipe reprinted with permission.
Elaine
Magee, MPH, RD, is the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and
conclusions are her own.
WebMD Expert Column
© 2009
WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
( collected from internate )
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