PDA

View Full Version : Flaxseed Oil - Another Great Antioxidant



tilltheend
01-23-2012, 02:47 PM
Flaxseed Oil - Another Great Antioxidant
By: GiGi Konwin

We've heard a lot about antioxidants lately and with good reason. They provide essential uses to our health and are an important anti-aging supplement. Most often, antioxidants come from fruits and vegetables, but the lowly flaxseed is perhaps one of our most powerful sources.

What is Flaxseed Oil?

Flaxseed Oil is also known as Linseed Oil. The oil is created from the seeds of the flax plant. Typically, linseed oil is the yellowish drying oil that is extracted and used as a carrier in oil paint and also as a wood finish. When the flax seed is cold pressed without the extraction, it is called flaxseed oil and is used as a nutritional supplement. More information than you need to know? Maybe, but I thought it was interesting that a lowly plant seed could be used for both furniture finish AND the next best nutritional supplement since the multi-vitamin.

Flaxseed oil is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids which are excellent in a whole host of ways - heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and arthritis to name a few. Omega 3
fatty acids are typically linked with fish oils but flaxseed oil provides a good alternative source of the Omega 3's for the vegetarian that prefers plant based supplements.

Lignan is a chemical compound produced in plants that is a powerful antioxidant. Flaxseed oil contains one of the highest concentration of lignan known. Why is that important? Studies have shown populations that ingest a high amount of lignans have a lower incidence of cancer. Lignans are antioxidant molecules with anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial attributes. These plant hormones are also believed to block the manufacturing of hormone-based tumors.

Here's an interesting tidbit:
Dark chocolate is also an antioxidant. It has the same antioxidants as tea.

Antioxidants have proven to have considerable health uses and anti-aging attributes. As an antioxidant, the flaxseed oil's lignans can help increase the body's immune system, keeping harmful, disease-causing germs from deteriorating the cells. Lignans also increase the manufacturing of a substance attached to estrogen and transports it out of the body which also makes it helpful in relieving PMS symptoms.

Other uses of flaxseed oil include helping to protect the body against inflammations, high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and triglycerides and improves the absorption of calcium.

As you can see, flaxseed oil is a nutritional supplement that should not be overlooked. Easy to take and less expensive than the considerable supplements touted today.

sensitivenips
01-24-2012, 05:22 AM
dang, i have been considering flax seed oil for a long time, and you just sold me on it. any recommendations regarding brand?

Ilb34
10-27-2012, 07:25 AM
I been using flax but never quite sure on dosage. Any ideas?

ShortnWide
10-27-2012, 08:37 AM
Its more on the individual person. People use 10-30grams daily.

beanlicker
10-27-2012, 05:21 PM
dang, i have been considering flax seed oil for a long time, and you just sold me on it. any recommendations regarding brand?

In the U.S., you usually get what you pay for. I was told many moons ago that as long as a supplement's label showed that it was "standardized" that it was good to go, but this is not true in the U.S.

In fact, dietary supplements are not required to be standardized in the United States. No legal or regulatory definition exists in the United States for standardization as it applies to dietary supplements. Because of this, the term "standardization" may mean many different things. Some manufacturers use the term standardization incorrectly to refer to uniform manufacturing practices; following a recipe is not sufficient for a product to be called standardized. Therefore, the presence of the word "standardized" on a supplement label does not necessarily indicate product quality.