Why you need to eat flaxseed, not just the oil from…
Flaxseed oil is one of the few oils I recommend you take on a regular basis. But, as you may know, I’m a huge fan of the whole food. And new research gives us ample reason to eat the actual flaxseed. It can significantly reduce your cholesterol.
In a recent study, researchers conducted a randomized controlled study on 30 men with high cholesterol. They found that flaxseed lignans significantly reduced their LDL and improved their LDL/HDL ratio.
While that’s impressive enough, the lignans did even more. They also improved their liver enzymes count. This suggests that these plant compounds can and will protect your liver.
In my book, flaxseed is a superfood. Lignans are phytoestrogens, which have significant healing and preventive properties when ingested. They are found in the hull of the flaxseed, not in the oil. So if you’re just taking the oil, you’re missing out.
Men, don’t worry, the estrogen won’t grow breasts on you. In fact, phytoestrogens activate the beta estrogen receptor in your prostate and other organs (like your brain). This can be incredibly beneficial for preventing prostate disease and preserving your brain.
And women? You don’t have to worry either. Phytoestrogens are not likely to stimulate breast cancer. In fact, they seem to actually prevent it. Many of my colleagues use phytoestrogens, especially from soy, to treat breast and other cancers as well.
In addition to eating flaxseed, you can get flax lignans in supplement form at http://www.lignans.net.Their product contains 33 mg per capsule and the dose in this study was 100 mg. So, you’ll need three capsules per day.
From Health Info Newsletter September 4, 2012: EFT Workshops, Osteoarthritis, Diabetes, Flax Seed