The Antioxidant Component of Flaxseeds – FlaxMatters.com Explains the Importance of Lignans

Consumers and health food adherents learn that the health benefits of flaxseed go beyond their ALA Omega-3 content, with new educational “flax facts” released by www.FlaxMatters.com. The facts in this release highlight flax seeds’ lignans.

Angusville, Manitoba – January 9, 2009 – Lignans are an important component in flax seeds, and to help consumers better understand them, the creators of FlaxMatters.com have released a number of “flax facts” explaining lignans and their benefits.

It’s no secret that flax can play an important part in a healthy diet. The best-known health benefit of flax seeds is flax’s Omega-3 content (an essential fatty acid, or “good fat”). However, flaxseeds have other health benefits such as being a good source of fiber, protein and lignans – a lesser-known health-promoting element of the seeds.

“Lignans provide a wonderful benefit from flaxseeds, but one that many flax users don’t yet know about,” says Eric Borchardt of FlaxMatters.com, which offers MeadowPure flax products. “Lignans are a phytoestrogen, or plant estrogen, with antioxidant and other beneficial properties. They’re found only in plant sources, with flaxseeds being the strongest source, and they’re currently being studied for their potential cancer-fighting and cancer-prevention properties.”

To help flax users better understand the lignan health benefits of flaxseed, FlaxMatters.com offers the following “flax facts” about lignans:

Fact 1: Flaxseeds contain up to 800 times more active lignans than other plant sources (such as sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, barley, and broccoli).

Fact 2: The antioxidant and antiestrogenic properties of lignans can play a role in disease prevention. For example, lignans are being studied as a treatment option for cancer patients, with results of studies from one group of Canadian researchers with the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto showing that “dietary flaxseed has the potential to reduce tumor growth in patients with breast cancer.” That study, conducted in 2005, tested the lignans’ effects on tumors in postmenopausal patients with newly-diagnosed breast cancer.

Fact 3: Lignans are found in the husk of flax seeds, so their benefit is best obtained by adding milled flax seeds to meals and recipes.

More “flax facts” exploring lignans and other health benefits of flaxseeds can be found at www.FlaxMatters.com.

About Pizzey’s Nutritionals
Pizzey’s Nutritionals is the largest high quality, food-grade flaxseed supplier in North America. The company was founded in 1991 in the heart of the flaxseed belt, and markets flax-based ingredients for baking, beverages, supplements, and animal nutrition under the MeadowPure brand which ensures the most nutritious and most stable flaxseed available in the market. The MeadowPure process allows the company to offer premium flaxseed products through a cleaning and sorting process involving electronically separating whole, plump flax seeds from damaged or dark seeds, providing a richer source of ALA. This process weeds out damaged seeds that can limit shelf life, leaving MeadowPure milled flaxseeds with a two-year life, with whole flaxseeds lasting indefinitely. The strict quality controls in the MeadowPure process also enable the seeds to be stored at room temperature, rather than having to be refrigerated (the way flax seeds traditionally have to be stored). Pizzey’s Nutritionals was acquired by Glanbia plc, an international leader in dairy foods and nutritional ingredients, in 2007.

For more information about FlaxMatters.com or Pizzey’s Nutritionals, please visit www.FlaxMatters.com or contact Eric Borchardt at 608-329-2800.

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