ALA also plays a valuable role in inflammation and swelling that usually accompanies serious training as well as helps in muscle repair at the cellular level by improving the speed and quality of tissue repair.

Not only does flax provide these essential fatty acids, but flaxseed is an excellent source of protein which is usually an important component of an athlete’s diet. Flax is a very easy to add into any diet and works well in a daily protein drink where you can receive all the nutritional benefits of flax by adding about 1 tablespoon of milled flax. You can also try adding flax as a salad topper as you would sunflower seeds or croutons or mixed in with oatmeal or yogurt.
.

First, flax seed contains many nutrients that are beneficial to both men and women, and these are reason alone to consume flax seed. Flax includes the Omega-3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid, and more. Flax seeds also contain fiber and antioxidants. Our bodies need all of these to be healthy, especially the Omega-3 fatty acids. Many people believe these fatty acids can only come from fish, but they actually appear in several other types of foods as well. By adding flax seed to your diet, you add another source of Omega-3 fatty acids. This is a great way for those who do not enjoy eating fish to get these essential nutrients.

However, these are benefits that both genders can enjoy. What does flax seed offer men exclusively? Well, the main reason men may want to add flax seed to their diet is that flax seed can help prevent prostate cancer and prostate tumor growth. In one study, men consumed 30 grams of flax seed every day for a month before having surgery for prostate cancer. These men were then compared to a group of men who had the same surgery but did not consume flax seed. The men who added flax seed to their diet had many fewer complications and had an easier time with the surgery overall. Researchers believe this was because the Omega-3 fatty acids in flax seed actually stopped cancer cells from clinging to other cells, while the lignans slowed the blood supply to the tumor.

Like many studies, further research is necessary to confirm these effects. However, it appears that flax seed is very beneficial to those with prostate cancer and may, in fact, help prevent prostate cancer in men.

Adding flax seed to your diet can be incredibly easy— cereals, yogurt and pasta, just to name a few. However, that can get old very quickly, and you may not even eat those types of food on a regular basis. If that’s the case, don’t worry. There are ways you can add flax seed and its various incarnations to any meal.

First of all, many grocery stores now carry various types of food with flaxseed already in them. Many baked goods contain milled flax seed, making it easy to incorporate these foods into your diet. You may also find it interesting to know that milled flax can be used as a fat or egg replacement in recipes, 1 tablespoon of milled flax seed and 2-3 tablespoons water replaces 1 egg and 3 tablespoons of milled flaxseed can replace 1 tablespoon of margarine, butter, or cooking oil.

The fiber in flaxseed will fill you up and keep you full longer making flaxseed a valuable addition to a weight loss (or control) diet. Try starting your day off with a smoothie, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of milled flax.

Everyone in the family can enjoy flax, while sometimes it is hard to get children to eat healthy; it is easy to hide milled flaxseed in thicker soups, pasta sauces, burgers, meatloaf, casseroles and bread dough.

In 261 subjects followed by researchers over a 4.6 year period, 101 participants with diagnosed AMD progressed to advanced AMD. The intake of fish more than twice a week was associated with a lower rate progression to advanced AMD. The National Eye Institute division of the National Institutes of Health is planning a randomized double-blinded study that will evaluate the association between DHA intake and the rate of disease progression in greater than 4000 AMD patients.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required in the diet as they can not be made by humans. The two established EFAs are linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, LA) and ALA. ALA can be converted in the body into EPA and DHA. LA is converted in the body to another long chain fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) – both LA and AA are omega 6’s. Figure 1 shows the pathway of conversion of LA and ALA to their longer chain omega families.

AA and EPA are further metabolized to produce very powerful hormone-like substances (called ‘eicosanoids’) that effect physiological functions such as cell growth and division, inflammatory responses, muscle activity, blood pressure, and immune function. Eicosanoids formed from AA are released in the body in response to injury, infection, stress, or certain diseases. EPA forms eicosanoids that behave in opposition to those derived from AA and may help protect against heart attacks and strokes, as well as certain inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, lupus and asthma.

The conversion of ALA to EPA is very individual and will be affected by diet. A diet rich in LA can reduce ALA conversion by as much as 40%, and a high intake of LA by pregnant women lowers EPA and DHA levels in umbilical plasma, suggesting reduced ALA conversion and availability of omega 3 fatty acids for the developing fetus33. Other factors that interfere with ALA conversion include the intake of dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fatty acids. High intakes of omega 3 fatty acids can also block ALA conversion.

Kelley Fitzpatrick
Director of Health & Nutrition
Flax Canada