The inclusion of flaxseed in the diet may have a great number of potential
benefits for the well-being of both healthy individuals and those challenged by
disease conditions as well. With an increase in the number and quality of studies
focused on the physiological and pathophysiological effects of dietary flaxseed,
our knowledge concerning the rationale for the inclusion of flaxseed in our diet
has become more convincing and stronger. The purpose of this review is threefold.
First, the review will comprehensively document the evidence supporting the value
of dietary flaxseed to improve bodily health in both normal and disease
conditions. Second, this review will identify the mechanisms of action
responsible for these effects. Finally, this article will review practical
aspects relevant to the inclusion of flaxseed in the diet. Briefly, supplementing
the diet with flaxseed has beneficial effects on the treatment and/or prevention
of different kinds of cardiovascular disease (hypertension, ischemic heart
disease, myocardial infarcts, atherosclerosis), non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease, breast cancer, bone strength, menopause, diabetes, and wound healing.
Although some controversy exists on the component within flaxseed that provides
these beneficial actions, it is likely that the rich content of the omega-3 fatty
acid, alpha linolenic acid, is primarily responsible for the majority of these
biological effects. It is concluded that the constantly expanding evidence in
support of the inclusion of flaxseed in our daily diet to provide significant
health benefits strongly encourages the initiation of additional work on dietary
flaxseed in order to both confirm past findings as well as to further advance our
knowledge regarding the important biological actions of dietary flaxseed.