{"id":10096,"date":"2024-03-05T20:12:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T13:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10096"},"modified":"2024-03-05T20:12:42","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T13:12:42","slug":"fighting-inflammation-with-flaxseeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10096","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Inflammation with Flaxseeds\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory, aging-associated oxylipins can be normalized by eating ground flaxseed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24126178\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explored<\/a> the \u201cPotent Antihypertensive Effect of Dietary Flaxseed in Hypertensive Patients\u201d study in my video <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-flax-seeds-for-hypertension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flaxseeds for Hypertension<\/a><\/strong>. That was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial where researchers disguised ground flaxseed in baked goods versus flax-free placebo muffins and saw an extraordinary drop in high blood pressure. As you can imagine, the flaxseed industry was overjoyed,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25342643\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> praising<\/a> the \u201cimpressive\u201d findings, as was I. After all, high blood pressure is \u201cthe single largest risk factor\u201d for death in the world. Yes, we give people medications, lots and lots of medications, but most people don\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19805653\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">take<\/a> them. Nine out of ten people take less than 80 percent of their prescribed blood pressure pills.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>It\u2019s not difficult to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/15894958\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">understand<\/a> why. \u201cPatients are asked to follow an inconvenient and potentially costly regimen, which will likely have a detrimental effect on health-related quality of life, to treat a mostly asymptomatic condition that commonly does not cause problems for many years.\u201d So, they may feel worse instead of better, due to the side effects. Then, some think the answer is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/16755199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">give<\/a> them even more drugs to counteract the effects of the first drugs, like giving men Viagra to counteract the erectile dysfunction caused by their blood pressure pills.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>How about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25342643\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">using<\/a> a dietary strategy instead, especially if it can be just as effective? And, indeed, the drop in blood pressure the researchers saw in the flaxseed study \u201cwas greater than the average decrease observed with the standard dose of anti-hypertensive medications.\u201d Flaxseeds are cheaper, too, compared to even single medications, and most patients are on multiple drugs. Plus, flaxseeds have good side effects beyond their anti-hypertensive actions. Taking tablespoons of flaxseed a day is a lot of fiber for people living off of cheeseburgers and milkshakes their whole lives, and your gut bacteria may need a little time to adjust to the new bounty. So, those who start with low-fiber diets may want to take it a little slow with the flaxseeds at first.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Not all studies have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26071633\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shown<\/a> significant blood pressure\u2013lowering effects, though. There have been more than a dozen trials by now, involving more than a thousand subjects. And, yes, when you put them all together, overall, there were \u201csignificant reductions in both SBP and DBP\u201d\u2014systolic blood pressure (the upper number) and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number)\u2014\u201cfollowing supplementation with various flaxseed products.\u201d But none was as dramatic as what the researchers had found in that six-month trial. The longer trials tended to show better results, and some of the trials just used flaxseed oil or some kind of flaxseed extract. We <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25342643\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">think<\/a> this is because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. \u201cEach of the components of interest within flaxseed, ALA, lignans, fiber, and peptides\u201d\u2014the omega-3s, the cancer-fighting lignans, all the soluble fiber, and the plant proteins, for instance\u2014\u201call contribute towards BP reduction.\u201d Okay, but how? Why? What is the mechanism?\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Some common blood-pressure medications like Norvasc or Procardia work in part by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21896151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reducing<\/a> the ability of the heart to contract or by slowing down the heart. So, might it be that\u2019s how flaxseeds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27528063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">work<\/a>, too? But, no. In my video <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-benefits-of-flax-seeds-for-inflammation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benefits of Flaxseeds for Inflammation<\/a><\/strong>, I profile the \u201cDietary Flaxseed Reduces Central Aortic Blood Pressure Without Cardiac Involvement but Through Changes in Plasma Oxylipins\u201d study. What are oxylipins?\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>\u201cOxylipins are a group of fatty acid metabolites\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28801523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">involved<\/a> in inflammation and, as a result, have been implicated in many pro-inflammatory conditions, including aging and cardiovascular disease. \u201cThe best-characterized oxylipins about cardiovascular disease are derived from the w-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid,\u201d a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid. These are found preformed in animal products, particularly chicken and eggs, and can be made inside the body from junky oils rich in omega-6, such as cottonseed oil, as noted below and at 3:49 in my <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-benefits-of-flax-seeds-for-inflammation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a><\/strong>. But, as this study is titled, \u201cElevated levels of pro-inflammatory oxylipins in older subjects are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24747581\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">normalized<\/a> by flaxseed consumption.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102904\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-49-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">That\u2019s how we think flaxseed consumption <\/span><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24777981\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reduces<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> blood pressure in patients with hypertension: by inhibiting the enzyme that makes these pro-inflammatory oxylipins. I\u2019ll spare you from acronym overload, but eating flaxseeds <\/span><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28801523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">inhibits<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> the activity of the enzyme that makes these pro-inflammatory oxylipins, called <em>leukotoxin diols<\/em>, which in turn may lower blood pressure. \u201c<\/span><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28801523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Identifying<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> the biological mechanism adds confidence to the antihypertensive actions of dietary flaxseed,\u201d but that\u2019s not all oxylipins do. Oxylipins may also <\/span><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24747581\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">play<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> a role in the aging process. However, we may be able to \u201cbeneficially disrupt these biological changes associated with inflammation and aging\u201d with a nutritional intervention like flaxseed. Older adults around age 50 have higher levels of this arachidonic acid\u2013derived oxylipin compared to younger adults around age 20, as you can see in the graph below and at 4:56 in my <\/span><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-benefits-of-flax-seeds-for-inflammation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">. \u201cThese elevated concentrations of pro-inflammatory oxylipins in the older age group\u2026may\u2026explain the higher levels of inflammation in older versus younger individuals.\u201d As we get older, we\u2019re more likely to be stricken with inflammatory conditions like arthritis. So, this \u201celevation of pro-inflammatory oxylipins\u2026may predispose individuals to chronic disease conditions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102906\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/4-56-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>What if you took those older adults and <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24747581\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gave<\/a> them muffins, like the ones with ground flaxseed? That\u2019s just what a group of researchers did. Four weeks later, the subjects\u2019 levels dropped down to like 20-year-olds\u2019 levels, as seen in the graph below and at 5:32 in my <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-benefits-of-flax-seeds-for-inflammation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cdemonstrating that a potential therapeutic strategy to correct the deleterious pro-inflammatory oxylipin profile is via a dietary supplementation with flaxseed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102908\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/5-32-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>What about flax and cancer? See the related posts below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I also have a video on diabetes: <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flaxseed-vs-diabetes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Flaxseeds vs. Diabetes<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in weight loss, see <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/benefits-of-flaxseed-meal-for-weight-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Benefits of Flaxseed Meal for Weight Loss<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What about the cyanide content of flax? I answered that in <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flax-seeds-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Friday Favorites: How Well Does Cooking Destroy the Cyanide in Flaxseeds and Should We Be Concerned About It?<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>What else can help fight inflammation? Check out in related posts below.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory, aging-associated oxylipins can be normalized by eating ground flaxseed.\u00a0 I previously explored the \u201cPotent Antihypertensive Effect of Dietary Flaxseed in Hypertensive Patients\u201d study in my video Flaxseeds for Hypertension. That was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial where researchers disguised ground flaxseed in baked goods versus flax-free placebo muffins and saw an &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}