Flax Lignans reduce the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in middle aged men

March 29, 2007

Scientists from the Research Institute of Public Health, Kuopio, Finland state that enterolactone (the major Lignan derived from Flaxseed) reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack, and cancer. Because of this prior research they checked the level of enterolactone in 1889 men aged 42 to 60 and followed them for over 12 years on average. The higher the level of enterolactone in the serum of these men the lower the risk of dying from coronary heart disease or from cardiovascular disease. Enterolactone is what flaxseed lignans are changed into in our body. The study is published in the May 2003 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine; a journal of the American Medical Association .

Lignans help prevent hypertension in older women

Scientists at the University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands, compared the intake of Lignans and blood pressure in 301 postmenopausal women. The scientists found that with increasing intake of plant Lignans there was a corresponding drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings with a decrease in the risk of developing high blood pressure. Even at low levels of intake Lignans improved blood pressure and helped prevent hypertension. The study is published in the July 2004 issue of the Journal of Hypertension.