Guess who’s coming to dinner?
“There’s lots of organic golden flaxseed available out there and it’s delicious in any recipe. I use it daily in my garden of life shake, in my organic brown rice and free range turkey dish, in my own special three meat burgers, etc. The flaxseeds when freshly ground provide not only the worlds best flaxseed oil but fiber also! The golden flax has a slight almondy flavor. The seeds keep forever, not like the oil, which must be guarded in black bottles, etc. Flaxseeds are one of the best natural sources of essential omega three fats, so enjoy and be healthy!”
I don’t know about you, but I think I’d enjoy stopping over at Scott’s for dinner sometime. Especially because a new study shows that a regular intake of flaxseed may help reduce two critical risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.
Two groups of rats were used: one group was lean, while the other was a “SHR/N-cp” rat – a variety considered to be a genetic model of obesity. Each of the two groups were then separated into sub-groups which were fed diets that delivered 20 percent of energy through either flaxseed meal, soy protein, or (for a control group) a milk based protein called casein.
After six months, analysis of the livers and plasma showed that while the obese rats experienced far more fat build up in the liver than the lean rats, those of both groups that were fed flaxseed showed far less liver fat accumulation. Additionally, triglyceride blood levels were lowered by almost 40 percent in lean rats fed flaxseed, and more than one-third in the obese rats that received flaxseed.
Overall, both the lean and obese rats fed flaxseed experienced a significantly greater drop in triglycerides and reduced liver fat accumulation than those fed soy protein. (Rats fed soy and flax far outperformed those fed casein in all categories.) Researchers didn’t attempt to explain why this was so, but stated that their results strongly established the basis for further studies in humans.
As I’ve pointed out in a number of previous e-Alerts, the optimal balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids should be 1:1. Most diets, however, are high in omega-6 (readily available in the oils used in many processed foods) and low in omega-3. The most common dietary source of omega-3 is fish, especially dark-meat fish like swordfish and tuna. But a high intake of these deep-water fish presents the problem of ingesting too much mercury.
This is just one of the reasons why flaxseed is such a welcome addition to just about anyone’s diet – an addition that may help promote good digestion, colon health, and even improved memory function through increased omega-3 levels.
An excellent source of flaxseed that we’ve recommended in the past is a brand from Heintzman Farms called Dakota Flax Gold. Heintzman Farms can ship flaxseed directly to your home, along with a small grinder you can use to grind the seed into fresh meal in whatever portions are best for you. For more information about Dakota Flax Gold, click here: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/AFLX/W600D573
Of course, you can also increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake with fish oil supplements, cod liver oil or grass-fed beef (which tends to be very expensive, and most grocery stores don’t carry it at all). But as Scott made clear in his message on the Forum, flaxseed meal provides a delicious, versatile, and highly nutritious addition to a wide variety of food preparations. As Scott put it so well, “Enjoy and be healthy!”
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
“Dietary Flaxseed Meal is More Protective Than Soy Protein Concentrate Against Hypertriglyceridemia and Steatosis of the Liver in an Animal Model of Obesity” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 22, No. 2, 157-164, 2003, jacn.org
“Flaxseed – More Protective Than Soy Protein Against Heart Disease?” Natural Ingredients, 4/11/03, naturalingredients.com
