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Flaxseed

Flaxseed is one of the major crops in Western Canada, Northern United States, South America and some European countries. Flax seeds are flat, oval and pointed at one end. They contain a seed coating, an embryo comprising two large, flattened cotyledons, a short hypocotyl and a radical. Conventionally, flaxseed is processed into oil and the meal is used as an animal feed. Recently, flaxseed has become of increased importance in the diet as it contains a number of nutrients that are highly beneficial to human health. Flaxseeds contains flaxseed oil which has high levels of linolenic fatty acid, dietary fibre and lignans, plus proteins and other minor components. Linolenic fatty acid is the essential fatty acid which can reduce the risk of heart disease. Dietary fibre can control the levels of blood glucose and glycernic response. Evidence has shown that flaxseed and its extracts containing high levels of lignans and its hydrolysate, secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG), can prevent and slow the growth of cancer cells. Lignans are generally dimers containing a dibenzylbutane skeleton. When part of the human diet, these compounds are believed to be converted into the mammalian lignans known as enterolactone and enterodiol. The principal lignan found in flaxseed is secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, referred to as SDG. Flaxseed which is a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid and richest source of plant lignans has been shown to be effective in reducing hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis without lowering serum levels of cholesterol. Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis (narrowing of the artery due to deposition of fat in the arterial wall) and related occlusive vascular diseases such as heart attack, stroke and other peripheral vascular diseases. Using flaxseed which has very low alpha-linolenic acid, has shown that antiatherogenic activity of flaxseed is not due to alpha-linolenic acid but may be due to lignan component of flaxmeal.

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