Flax

[steve_81]

What is the difference between Lignan Flax Oil and Flaxseed Oil? Is one necessarily better than the other?

 

[Yjyankee]

btt

 

[rrgg]

It sounds like high lignan oil really isn't:





http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/high_lignan_flax.htm

The lignans and other anti-oxidants in the hull of the flax seed would offer some degree of protection against free radical oxidation if they were present as well. ... Lignans are a group of phytonutrients which are found in all seeds and grains. ....


Scientific studies have suggested that the lignans interfere with the development of breast, prostate, colon and other cancers. Cancer now strikes one in three Americans. Research has also shown that people who excrete high amounts of lignans in their urine (indicative of a high intake) have markedly lower cancer rates.2 Conversely, investigators reported that the level of lignans in the body were lower in patients with breast cancer than in tumor free patients. 3

The lignan compounds have shown such extraordinary potential that they have been studied by the National Cancer Institute for their cancer preventative properties. The SDG lignan not only has anti-cancer properties, it has anti-viral , anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It is also a powerful anti-oxidant. Most of the SDGs tested for their anti-oxidant activity have shown themselves to be 5 time greater in activity than Vitamin E. 4 ...



Products claiming "High Lignan Flax Seed Oil" tested by the University of North Dakota have been found to contain practically no lignans at all. That is expected because the lignans are not in the oil, they are in the hull of the seed. ...


"20% lignan particulates" does not mean it contains 20% lignans, but it means 20% of the product is made up of pieces of the flax fiber shell which does contain the lignans. Since fiber meal contains 1.6% lignans, such a product would contain aobut 0.35% lignans. If the product is a liquid these particles will settle to the bottom and no lignans will be consumed until you are the end of the bottle unless it is always shaken well before it is poured.

Another product says "up to 30% more lignans than the whole flax seed." This is essentially a product consisting mostly of the defatted flax fiber without the oil. There is no concentration or extract of lignans., Such a product would thus contain about 1.5% lignans, which was the highest level of lignans available until recently.

Recently a dry mechanical process extraction process of removing the oil and concentrating the lignans was developed by an euntrapreneural man in North Dakota. The resulting meal is only 10% oil and it is 90% flax hulls yielding the highest concentration of SDG lignans available in the world. These flax hulls contain about 45 mg of SDG per gram of meal. This is about 7 times more concentrated than flax seed ground, and because the oil is mostly removed it is shelf stable and according to many naturopaths about 70 times more effective that the flax seed alone. No competing products come close to the concentrations of lignans found in our high lignan flax product.




http://www.flaxrd.com/FAQS.htm



I have noticed that there are two different kinds of flax oil, regular and high-lignan. What is the difference between the two? Which one would you recommend to purchase?

Flax oil, regardless if it is regular or high-lignan, contains only the oil portion from the seed. It does not contain protein, lignans, fiber, and any other substances from the seed. With that being said, consider these points:

1. In the entire flax industry, not one standardized methodology of plant lignan extraction and measurement testing has been settled upon. Therefore, you will never know if it is high-lignan or not. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

2. Compare a regular bottle of flax oil with a high-lignan version and it will surprise you to note that there are less omega-3 fats in the high-lignan version. For example, 1 tablespoon of regular Barleans flax oil contains 7700 mg omega-3 fats, as the high-lignan Barleans contains 6200 mg omega-3 fats.

3. High-lignan flax oil is usually more expensive than regular flax oil.So, are you better off purchasing high-lignan flax oil? Since the lignan amounts cannot be verified, it has less omega-3 fats, and is more expensive, you would be better off consuming regular flax oil and adding ground flaxseed to your diet.


I have read that flax is the high in lignans. What are lignans and how do they help me?

ignans are plant-derived antioxidants that, when ingested, act like weak versions of the human hormone known as estrogen. These compounds, called phytoestrogens, are extremely beneficial in off-setting the unpleasant physical manifestations of menopause, particularly night sweats and hot flashes. They have also been shown to help in the fight against cancer! Flax is the richest known source of lignans in the entire plant kingdom!

 

[Massacre]

"Lignans are plant-derived antioxidants that, when ingested, act like weak versions of the human hormone known as estrogen. These compounds, called phytoestrogens, are extremely beneficial in off-setting the unpleasant physical manifestations of menopause, particularly night sweats and hot flashes. They have also been shown to help in the fight against cancer! Flax is the richest known source of lignans in the entire plant kingdom!"

...So why do so many people take flax if it is so high in phytoestrogens?

 

[rrgg]

Found this on bb.com it says it can actually lower your estrogen

But the point is that high lignan flax oil really doesn't contain high lignans. You need to eat milled flax seed if you want this.