The Health of Flaxseeds: The Secret to Lowering Blood Pressure Naturally.
Eating a portion of flaxseed gives you a nice dose of protein, fiber, and healthy omega 3 fats. This could help make it less likely for you to get certain types of cancers, keep your weight in a good range, and lower cholesterol as well as blood pressure.
You can find flaxseed in lots of foods nowadays, like crackers, frozen waffles, and oatmeal. In recent years, people have been wanting more flaxseed, and even farmers are using it more. They give flaxseed to chickens, and that’s why the eggs they lay have more of the good omega-3 fats.
Health Benefits of Flaxseed:
Let’s explore 9 ways flaxseed can be good for your health, all supported by science. Plus, I’ll share some simple ways to eat more of it.
1. High In Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
Flaxseed is packed with something called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is a kind of healthy fat called omega-3 fatty acid. These fats are really good for your heart, and they mostly come from plant-based foods.
Your body can’t make ALA on its own, so you need to get it from the foods you eat. Studies with animals suggest that ALA from flaxseed can help lower inflammation and stop cholesterol from building up in the blood vessels around your heart.
A study with almost 9,000 people found that eating more ALA was linked to lower cholesterol levels and a smaller chance of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Other research has shown that getting enough ALA might also lower your risk of having a stroke. One big review of 34 studies even found that eating more ALA could mean a lower risk of dying from heart disease.
3. Could Help Lower Blood Pressure
Flaxseed is known for being able to lower high blood pressure (hypertension).
When researchers looked at 15 different studies, they found out that using flaxseed products, like flaxseed powder, might really help bring down both the top and bottom numbers in a blood pressure reading. Those numbers are called systolic and diastolic pressure.
This might work even better if your blood pressure is already high. There was a study that lasted 12 weeks and it found that people with high blood pressure saw their numbers go down after eating 4 tablespoons (about 30 grams) of flaxseed every day.
Another big review of 11 studies discovered that taking flaxseed for more than 3 months could lower blood pressure by about 2 mmHg. That might not sound like a lot, but it can actually reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease by 14% and 6%, respectively.
3. Might Bring Down Cholesterol
Flaxseed could also be helpful in lowering cholesterol.
In a study that went on for a month, people with a condition called peripheral artery disease ate 4 tablespoons (which is about 30 grams) of ground flaxseed daily. Their “bad” LDL cholesterol dropped by about 15%.
Another study that lasted for 12 weeks looked at 112 people with high blood pressure. They also ate 4 tablespoons of flaxseed each day. The results were pretty similar: their body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, and blood pressure went down.
The way this might work is because of the fiber in flaxseed. It grabs onto bile salts and takes them out of your body. This makes your liver use up cholesterol from your blood to replace the lost bile salts, which brings down the cholesterol levels.
4. Might Help Control Blood Sugar
Flaxseed could be good at keeping your blood sugar levels steady and under control.
A look at 25 different studies found that whole flaxseed might lower blood sugar and prevent something called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for your body to manage blood sugar levels properly.
This might happen because of the soluble fiber in flaxseed. It slows down how fast sugar is taken up by your blood, which can help lower blood sugar levels.
If you have type 2 diabetes, flaxseed could be especially helpful.
But remember, the benefits of flaxseed for blood sugar control mostly come from whole flaxseed, not flaxseed oil. This is because flaxseed oil doesn’t have fiber in it.
5. Could Help Prevent Cancer
Flaxseed has something called lignans, which are like natural chemicals from plants that might help fight cancer. What’s interesting is that flaxseed has way more lignans—between 75 to 800 times more—than other plant foods.
Some studies have found that eating flaxseed could lower the chances of getting breast cancer, especially for women who are done with menopause.
Tests on animals and in tubes also show that flaxseed might guard against cancers like colorectal, skin, blood, and lung cancer.
6. Loaded with Fiber
Just a small spoonful (about 7 grams) of ground flaxseed has 2 grams of fiber. That’s around 5% of what guys need and 8% of what ladies need every day.
Flaxseed has two types of fiber: one that dissolves in water and one that doesn’t. These fibers help your gut and make your trips to the bathroom more regular. The bacteria in your tummy really like these fibers.
The fiber that dissolves in water can help control sugar in your blood and lower your cholesterol. The fiber that doesn’t dissolve makes your poop bigger, which can stop constipation and keep your bathroom visits normal.
7. Help with Digestion
We usually don’t eat enough fiber. On average, adults get around 16 grams each day, which is quite a bit less than the recommended 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. But here’s where flaxseeds can help. Just two tablespoons of ground flaxseed give women 15% of their daily fiber needs and about 10% for men.
The fiber in flaxseeds doesn’t dissolve in water, and this helps with digestion. It keeps things moving smoothly in your body and stops constipation. So, no more feeling bloated and no more issues with going to the bathroom!
Nutrition Facts:
As said by the United States Department of Agriculture, a spoonful (like the one you use to eat soup) of ground flaxseed, which weighs about 7 grams, has:
- Energy (like the power your body gets from food): About 37.4 calories
- Protein (what helps your body grow and be strong): Around 1.28 grams
- Fat (the kind that’s good for you): About 2.95 grams
- Carbohydrate (what gives you energy): Around 2.02 grams
- Fiber (the stuff that helps your tummy work well): About 1.91 grams
- Calcium (what keeps your bones strong): About 17.8 milligrams
- Magnesium (a mineral that’s good for your body): About 27.4 milligrams
- Phosphorus (another mineral that helps your body): About 44.9 milligrams
- Potassium (a mineral that’s good for your heart): About 56.9 milligrams
- Folate (a tiny bit that’s important for your body): About 6.09 micrograms
- Lutein and zeaxanthin (names of things that are good for your eyes): About 45.6 micrograms
A small spoonful of flaxseed also has a little bit of different vitamins and minerals, but not a lot. It also has lignans, tryptophan, lysine, tyrosine, and valine, which are good for you. Plus, it has healthy fats, mostly the kind that’s good for you.
It’s best to eat flaxseed that’s ground up because your body might not be able to use all the good stuff in whole flaxseeds.
Is it better to eat ground flaxseed or whole flaxseed?
Well, many experts who know about food and health say that ground flaxseed is usually better. This is because ground flaxseed is easier for your body to break down and use. When you eat whole flaxseed, it might not get fully digested in your gut, which means you might not get all the good things it has to offer.
The good things in flaxseed that help your body come from its fiber, omega-3 fats, and something called lignans. Just one tablespoon of ground flaxseed has 2 grams of the healthy omega-3 fats and 2 grams of fiber, and it has around 37 calories.
Flaxseed can be really useful for your tummy’s health and to help with constipation. It might even help lower the bad cholesterol and overall cholesterol in your blood, which could make your heart healthier.
You can find flaxseed in many stores, both in its whole form and already ground up. If you have whole flaxseeds at home, you can grind them yourself using a coffee grinder or a food processor.
Chia seeds can be a good thing to add to your eating plan. Let’s find out more about them! here
Risk:
Not everyone can benefit from the good things in flaxseed. If you:
- Take blood thinners like warfarin or aspirin,
- Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
- Take medicines to lower cholesterol,
- Have certain types of breast or uterine cancer that are sensitive to hormones,
- Are pregnant or breastfeeding,
- Are allergic to flaxseed,
Then it’s important to talk to a doctor before using flaxseed products.
Some general tips for people who eat flaxseed:
- Don’t eat raw or unripe flaxseeds, as they could have harmful stuff in them.
- When you eat flaxseed, make sure it’s ground and drink enough water with it to avoid tummy troubles.
- If you buy flaxseed oil, get small bottles that are in dark containers and keep them in the fridge. The oil can go bad quickly. Also, don’t use the oil after its expiration date.
- Don’t heat flaxseed oil when you’re cooking. Instead, add it to food that’s already cooked. Also, don’t use the microwave to heat it up again.
Dietary Tips:
You can enjoy flaxseed in different ways: as ground flaxseed, as oil, or in little capsules.
There’s a chance you might come across flaxseed in foods that are ready to eat, such as muffins, pastas, snack bars, and milk alternatives.
Add ground flaxseed to:
- Cereals you have for breakfast
- Smoothies you make
- Soups and stews you cook
- Salads and sandwiches you eat
- Yogurts you like
Even mixing flaxseeds into muffin batter or using them to cover chicken instead of breadcrumbs works well.
But be careful not to use too much flaxseed, because it could make your food taste strange and bitter. To avoid that, you can start with a small bit and then add more if you want, until it tastes good to you.
How to Use Flaxseeds?
“I enjoy adding whole flaxseeds to my oatmeal because they give it a pleasant crunch and more fiber.” You can buy them already ground or grind them yourself using a spice grinder or coffee grinder,” she adds. Keep whole or ground flaxseeds in the fridge for up to six months.
While there isn’t a specific rule for how much flaxseed to eat for good health, most experts suggest having about 1 to 2 tablespoons a day. It’s not tough to do because you can easily add them to many foods. Largeman-Roth recommends, “Mix ground flaxseed into muffins, cookies, or bread. It can replace a quarter of the flour in some baking.”
Here are some more ideas to include flaxseed in your meals and snacks:
- You can sprinkle some ground flaxseed into your yogurt.
- Stir ground flaxseed into your hot oatmeal, overnight oatmeal, and cold cereal.
- Blend ground flaxseed into your smoothies.
- Put a bit of ground flaxseed in your favorite pancake or waffle recipe.
- Mix ground flaxseed into mayonnaise for sandwiches or salad dressings.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of whole flaxseeds on a green salad.
- Before baking, add whole flaxseeds to loaves of bread for a tasty and crunchy topping.
In Short
Flaxseed and things made from it have good stuff called antioxidants, especially lignans. These might be good for your health, but we’re not completely sure yet because we need more proof.
If you’re thinking about having flaxseed, it’s smart to talk to a doctor first. This way, they can make sure it’s safe for you.
