title: High alpha-linolenic acid flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum): some nutritional properties in humans.
abstract: Although high alpha-linolenic acid flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the richest dietary sources of alpha-linolenic acid and is also a good source of soluble fibre mucilage, it is relatively unstudied in human nutrition. Healthy female volunteers consumed 50 g ground, raw flaxseed/d for 4 weeks which provided 12-13% of energy intake (24-25 g/100 g total fat). Flaxseed raised alpha-linolenic acid and long-chain n-3 fatty acids in both plasma and erythrocyte lipids, as well as raising urinary thiocyanate excretion 2.2-fold. Flaxseed also lowered serum total cholesterol by 9% and low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol by 18%. Changes in plasma alpha-linolenic acid were equivalent when 12 g alpha-linolenic acid/d was provided as raw flaxseed flour (50 g/d) or flaxseed oil (20 g/d) suggesting high bioavailability of alpha-linolenic acid from ground flaxseed. Test meals containing 50 g carbohydrate from flaxseed or 25 g flaxseed mucilage each significantly decreased postprandial blood glucose responses by 27%. Malondialdehyde levels in muffins containing 15 g flaxseed oil or flour/kg were similar to those in wheat-flour muffins. Cyanogenic glycosides (linamarin, linustatin, neolinustatin) were highest in extracted flaxseed mucilage but were not detected in baked muffins containing 150 g flaxseed/kg. We conclude that up to 50 g high-alpha-linolenic acid flaxseed/d is palatable, safe and may be nutritionally beneficial in humans by raising n-3 fatty acids in plasma and erythrocytes and by decreasing postprandial glucose responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Cunnane
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ganguli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menard
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Liede
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hamadeh
authors.forename: Z Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wolever
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000378:metabolism*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008042:Linolenic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008043:Linseed Oil / Q000378:metabolism*; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000652:urine; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D008042:Linolenic Acids; D013861:Thiocyanates; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D008043:Linseed Oil; D002784:Cholesterol