Description: Flaxseed Oil by Solaray
Like most vegetable oils, flaxseed oil contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid needed for survival. But unlike most oils, it also contains significant amounts of another essential fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an omega-3 fatty acid. To a limited extent, the body turns ALA into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil—which in turn converts to beneficial prostaglandins. (Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances made in many parts of the body rather than coming from one organ, as most hormones do.) While fish oil has been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity, an anti-inflammatory effect of flaxseed oil has not been demonstrated conclusively. Some doctors have argued that, because ALA can be converted to EPA and DHA (the fatty acids found in fish oil), flaxseed oil should be useful for the same conditions as fish oil. However, the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is limited, so that argument may turn out to be incorrect. For example, while numerous studies have shown that fish oils are beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis, flaxseed oil failed to work for this condition in the only known trial. In 1994, a diet purportedly high in ALA was successful in preventing heart disease, but this study altered many dietary factors, so ALA may not have been solely responsible for the outcome. Flaxseed oil does not appear to be a good replacement for fish oil for people with elevated triglycerides. ALA does not reduce excess platelet aggregation (“sticky platelets”), another risk factor for heart disease, the way fish oil does. However, flaxseed oil may help lower cholesterol, and research specific to flaxseed oil indicates that it may also lower blood pressure. |
