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Review
. 2019 May 25;11(5):1171.
doi: 10.3390/nu11051171.

Dietary Flaxseed as a Strategy for Improving Human Health

Mihir Parikh  1   2   3 , Thane G Maddaford  4   5   6 , J Alejandro Austria  7   8   9 , Michel Aliani  10   11 , Thomas Netticadan  12   13   14 , Grant N Pierce  15   16   17
Affiliations
Review

Dietary Flaxseed as a Strategy for Improving Human Health

Mihir Parikh et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Flaxseed is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid, the lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside and fiber. These compounds provide bioactivity of value to the health of animals and humans through their anti-inflammatory action, anti-oxidative capacity and lipid modulating properties. The characteristics of ingesting flaxseed or its bioactive components are discussed in this article. The benefits of administering flaxseed or the individual bioactive components on health and disease are also discussed in this review. Specifically, the current evidence on the benefits or limitations of dietary flaxseed in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, gastro-intestinal health and brain development and function, as well as hormonal status in menopausal women, are comprehensive topics for discussion.

Keywords: cancer; cardiovascular; diabetes; flaxseed; functional food; menopause; microbiome; nutraceutical.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The effect of dietary flaxseed on the various types of cardiovascular disease. Arrows going up denote an increase in a specific parameter whereas arrows going down denote a decrease in a specific parameter.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Individual values of systolic blood pressure at baseline or after 6 months of dietary supplementation with a placebo (A) or 30 g of milled flaxseed per day (B). Baseline systolic blood pressures in the placebo group were 143.5 ± 2.88 at baseline and 144.8 ± 3.33 after 6 months (n = 36). Baseline systolic blood pressures in the flax group were 146.6 ± 3.37 at baseline and 136.5 ± 3.53 after 6 months (n = 41). Results are obtained from Rodriguez-Leyva et al, 2013 [5].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The effect of dietary flaxseed on the gastrointestinal health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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