Flaxseed Lowers Blood Pressure

Here's another advantage of using flaxseed that I came across. Good for the arteries, good for inflammation and good for arrythmias. That is what I call a good power packed punch from the little seeds.

 

Adding flaxseed to the diets of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) resulted in large drops in blood pressure (BP) of around 10 mm Hg systolic and 7 mm Hg diastolic after six months, according to the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

"This reduction of SBP and DBP after administration of dietary flaxseed is the largest decrease in BP ever shown by any dietary intervention," said Dr Delfin Rodriguez (University Hospital Holguin, Cuba) speaking here today at the American Heart Association 2012 Scientific Sessions. Such reductions would be expected to result in around a 50% fall in the incidence of stroke and a 30% reduction in MI, he added.

 

"Flaxseed represents a particularly attractive strategy for controlling hypertension in economically disadvantaged communities and countries, and its BP-lowering effects compare favorably with those of antihypertensive drugs and lifestyle modifications, such as a low-salt diet and weight loss," he noted.

Flaxseed Is Antiatherogenic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antiarrhythmic

Rodriguez said that he and his colleagues chose to study flaxseed because animal studies have shown it has antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiarrhythmic effects and may reduce circulating cholesterol and trans-fatty acid levels.

 

The flaxseed group exhibited a twofold increase in plasma alpha-linolenic acid and a 10-fold increase in enterolactone levels (p=0.003), but levels of these compounds did not change in the placebo group.

"Flaxseed has different components, including alpha-linolenic acid, enterolignans, and fiber, and all have been shown to decrease BP. We think we are seeing a synergistic effect of different compounds," he commented.