Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Heart Health

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 80 million Americans are affected by one or more types of cardiovascular disease. Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of the omega-3 fatty acid, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), a polyunsaturated fat that offers unique heart health benefits.

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reported the majority of U.S. diets no longer contain the amount of omega-3 fatty acids needed for overall health and wellness. Instead, Americans are consuming more than 10 times as many omega-6 fatty acids (another essential fatty acid family which is required by the body in moderate — not excessive — amounts) as they are omega-3 fatty acids thanks to the increase of fatty, highly processed foods in today's diet.
• Omega-3 fatty acids correct imbalances in modern diets that lead to health problems. Eating less omega-6 and more omega-3 fats from foods like ALA-rich flax can help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and cancer, as well as lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol.
• Flax contains more ALA than other healthy plant-based oils, such as canola or soybean. ALA is an essential fatty acid that must be obtained from the diet because the body can't produce it on its own. ALA allows nutrients to enter the cells and aids in the removal of toxins making them "essential
  to life."
• Studies show a diet high in ALA omega-3s helps reduce heart disease and stroke by reducing the build-up of fats in the arteries, reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reducing inflammation which is known to promote atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries." Studies have found eating two to six tablespoons of milled flax daily for as little as four weeks decreased the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• The AHA Dietary Guidelines recommend including high ALA sources, such as flaxseed, in the healthy diets for the general population. Diets rich in the omega-3 ALA found in flaxseed have been associated with up to a 70 percent reduction in coronary heart disease compared with typical western diets low in ALA.

Lignans/Antioxidants

Flax is one of the best plant sources of lignans, natural antioxidants that may reduce the activity of cell-damaging free radicals, slow the aging process, and increase overall wellness. Flaxseeds provide up to 700 times more lignans than whole grains or legumes.

• Besides acting as antioxidants, lignans are phytoestrogrens — active substances derived from plants that have an estrogen-like effect. Phytoestrogrens can help balance hormone levels and block tumor formation, offering protection against hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast, endometrium, and prostate.
• Lignans are especially important for women as studies have shown them to decrease the risk of breast cancer. In addition, lignans have been proven to reduce breast cancer symptoms and reduce the spread and growth of breast cancer after diagnosis.
• In a recent study published by Clinical Cancer Research, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who consumed a daily muffin containing
  25 grams or two tablespoons of flaxseed, showed a significant reduction in tumor growth compared with those who ate muffins with no flax. Additional breast cancer study findings have shown:
• Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer showed a slowing of tumor growth with the addition of flax to their diet.
• A diet rich in plant lignans could curb the risk of breast cancer after menopause by almost 30 percent.
• Eating flax regularly may reduce the risk of metastasis and improve clinical prognosis of breast cancer.
• Lignans also help treat menopause without traditional drugs by mimicking naturally produced estrogen, reducing or moderating pre- and post-menopausal symptoms.
• Lignans also have been found effective in lowering the onset of Type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Fiber in Flax

Flax is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, providing three grams of fiber per tablespoon.

Milled and whole flax provide all the dietary fiber of whole grains. One tablespoon of milled flax contains as much dietary fiber as one slice of whole wheat bread, one-half cup cooked brown rice, one-quarter cup cooked oat bran, and one-third cup cooked, chopped broccoli.

Fiber in flax is good for the heart, colon, and digestive health, and can ease the effects of type 2 diabetes.

• Heart Health: The soluble dietary fiber in flax can help lower blood cholesterol, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Colon/Digestive Health: The insoluble dietary fiber in flax can
  not only help relieve constipation, but improve overall colon and digestive health. Diets high in fiber have been proven to protect against cancers of the GI tract, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) lists high-fiber diets as one way to reduce your risk of colon cancer, the No. 2 cancer killer in the U.S.
• Diabetes: The fiber in flax helps trap glucose and fat in the gut, moderating and easing glucose release in the body and reducing sugar spikes, which has a positive impact on both blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Nutrition Profile

While flax is rich in protein, research suggests its health benefits probably have more to do with its fatty acid and fiber profile.

*Analyzed by the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS ) Official Method Am
2-93, which is based on the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations Ltd. (FOSFA) Official Method. The American Organization of Analytical Chemists (AOAC International) Method 996.06 will produce a slightly lower fat content.

Balancing Good and Bad Fats

Part of the reason fats and oils have earned such a bad reputation in recent years is because people eat too much fat, particularly too much saturated fat. (Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk for heart disease.)

Although about 41 per cent of flax is oil, very little of that is saturated. More than
70 percent of fat in flax is of the healthy polyunsaturated type. In fact, a unique feature of flax is the high ratio of alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) to linoleic (omega-6 fatty acids).

Nutritionists consider these two polyunsaturated fatty acids as essential because the body cannot manufacture them from other substances. (Normally, the body converts carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into fatty acids as needed.) That means, they must be eaten as part of the diet.

While other plant seeds — corn, sunflower, peanuts — contain omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, flax is the only one that contains so much of the essential omega-3 fatty acids. Understanding how these two types of polyunsaturated fat differ can help the comsumer underscore why flax has so many unique health benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids - More than half the fat in flaxseeds is alpha-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), the essential omega-3 fatty acid. Scientific studies reporting health benefits for omega-3 fatty acids show that these fatty acids are required for proper infant growth and development. Cholesterol can be reduced by adding flax to the diet. New research also suggests that ALA offers protective effects against both coronary heart disease and stroke. Omega-3s also have been shown to protect against hypertension, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Long-term studies of flax effects on breast cancer now are underway.

Omega-6 fatty acids — An essential fatty acid, linoleic is the chief polyunsaturated fat in the North American diet. Most omega-6 fatty acids in the diet come from vegetable oils.

Ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s — Studies of hunter-gatherer populations show their diets contained roughly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Currently, researchers and nutrition experts recommend people replace some omega-6 fatty acids in their diet with omega-3 fatty acids like those found in flax.

Flax in a Vegetarian Diet