FLAX OIL OR FLAX SEED?
Flaxseed may help postmenopausal women metabolize estrogen, according to research details posted in the Healthier Talk community forums by an HSI member named MillersCrossing.A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that a daily serving of about one ounce of ground flaxseed appears to reduce breast cancer risk while helping maintain estrogen fraction balance required for proper bone mass.
MillersCrossing: "This is an excellent review of what we're learning, through science, about the health benefits of flaxseeds."
Katewow: "Does anybody know if there's a difference between flaxseed MEAL and flaxseed OIL? I take the oil everyday in my oatmeal but wonder if I'm getting the same nutrients? I use the meal when I make muffins, bread and pancakes - do you know if most of that gets 'cooked out', since the oven (for the muffins) is set at 350 degrees?"
MillersCrossing: "The fiber and phytochemicals won't get cooked out. The omega-3 fatty acids may be affected by high-temperature cooking however. I'll pass along a tip I use for getting the most out of flax. I buy some organic, whole flaxseeds and simply add them to my protein shake (which I blend-up in a blender). This way, the sensitive omega-3s are 'ground' fresh and they're protected from the heat. An added benefit of using the whole seeds is that they're much cheaper."
Carlton Player: "If you search at PubMed for 'flaxseed lignans,' you'll find a tremendous body of research for just this one constituent of flaxseed. Lignans alone are reason enough to get at least one tablespoon of raw flaxseed (ground) into your diet each day… The studies on flaxseed lignans number in the hundreds, nearly all of them reaching a positive conclusion about one of nature's most powerful foods."
Scorpiotiger: "The whole seeds will keep fresh longer. Once the hull is broken, the oil is exposed to oxygen and it will go rancid quickly. So... don't keep flaxmeal a long time…use it up. Also, sprouted flaxseed is supposed to be more stable. One theory is that the oil is used up during germination, and another is that antioxidants are released during germination that make the oil more stable. I go for the 2nd theory as the sprouted flaxseed seems to have oil left."
Carlton Player: "Keep seeds in the freezer. I just threw out a big tin of seeds I had stored only in a dry cool place. It just wasn't dry and cool enough to ward off buggy things."
More like this at http://www.hsibaltimore.com/
Want to know how to remove 99.9% of pesticides and bacteria from your fresh produce?
YES!