title: Effects of flaxseed oil on blood hepcidin and hematologic factors in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: In hemodialysis (HD) patients, one of the common complications is renal anemia. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of flaxseed oil consumption on blood hepcidin and hematologic factors in HD patients.
  
  
  
  In this randomized, double-blind, clinical trial, 38 HD patients were randomly assigned to either the flaxseed oil or the control group. The patients in the flaxseed oil group received 6 g/d flaxseed oil for 8 wk, whereas the control group received 6 g/d medium chain triglycerides (MCT) oil. At baseline and the end of week 8, serum hepcidin, and blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cells (RBCs), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were measured after a 12- to 14-h fast.
  
  
  
  Flaxseed oil consumption significantly reduced serum hepcidin concentration up to 25% during 8 weeks, and the reduction was significant in comparison with the MCT oil group. In addition, the number of RBCs, blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCH and MCHC increased significantly in the flaxseed oil group up to 6%, 10%, 6%, 5%, and 2%, respectively, and these elevations were significant in comparison with the MCT oil group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in mean changes of MCV.
  
  
  
  This study indicates that daily consumption of 6 g flaxseed oil reduces serum hepcidin and improves hematologic factors in HD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tabibi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirfatahi
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hedayati
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Taleghani hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nasrollahi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D064451:Hepcidins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008043:Linseed Oil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D064451:Hepcidins; D008043:Linseed Oil
keywords: Flaxseed oil; hematologic factors; hemodialysis; hepcidin; renal anemia