1. Flax Lignans (The Foundation)
This is the page everyone lands on first:
- What are lignans?
- Flax the richest source
- Overview hormone helth women
- importance for men’s health – overview
- More than important – they are part of our nutritional heriage
- Why you should grind flax for its ligans
- How they act in the gut and benefit is
- Why aren’t they in flax oil?
- What is high-lignan oil? a Link to flax oil page
Linseed (Flaxseed) Lignans
Lignans are one of the most valuable nutrients found in linseed (flaxseed). They are one of the reasons ground linseed is such an important part of the Budwig Diet.
Whole linseed is by far the richest dietary source of lignans, containing far more than most other foods. It contains up to 800 times more than many other everyday plants such as are found in berries, vegetables, legumes and other seeds.
- SDG (secoisolariciresinol diglucoside) – the major lignan (by far the most abundant)
- SECO – the sugar-free version of SDG, produced during digestion
- Smaller amounts of matairesinol, pinoresinol, and lariciresinol
Enterodiol and enterolactone are natural compounds created when your gut bacteria digests flax lignans . They act as antioxidants, help balance hormones, and fight swelling in the body.
- Heart Health: They help keep blood vessels working well and improve your body’s fat and cholesterol balance.
- Cancer Protection: Studies show they may slow down or stop the growth of certain hormone-related cancer cells, like breast and prostate cancers.
- Lower Inflammation: They block specific signals in the body that cause harmful swelling and cell stress.
- Brain and Bone Support: They show signs of protecting brain cells and supporting healthy bone structure.
Linseed/Flax Lignans Lignans in Oil High Lignan
Lignans are a significant nutritional component of the Budwig Diet, it is one of the reasons freshly ground linseeds, which are a very rich source of lignans, are included in the diet.
Lignans are a large class of plant compound, which are antioxidants and mild phyto-oestrogens, which means they have chemical similarities with the human hormone oestrogen. Lignans occur naturally in many fibrous plants and are available in foods including berries, seeds, vegetables and legumes; whole linseeds are by far our richest source.
Plant lignans are converted to mammalian lignans by bacteria in the gut similar to the way vitamin K is made in the gut by bacteria. Mammalian lignans are compounds recognised by the body as oestrogen-like substances and can work in the body in a weakly similar way to oestrogen. This is why the lignans from linseed can buffer human tissue against the effects of its own hormones which helps protect women from breast and other sex-linked cancers and can replicate the effect of oestrogen through and after the menopause. Lignans are also thought to benefit and protect the health of the prostate. Dr Budwig considered the diet rich in lignans to be beneficial for women with breast cancer.
The Lignans in Linseed/ Flax Lignans
The lignans from linseed (flax) include secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, matairesinol and pinoresinol. Lignans are water soluble but as the lignans in linseed are contained in the fibrous part they are more easily digested from ground linseed than whole.
The lignans in linseed are powerful antioxidants (up to 800 times more antioxidant than Vitamin E) and protective of the health of the gut, research has suggested lignans help to protect the colon from cancer.
There is more information about the role of linseed (flax) lignans in cancer, particularly in breast cancer in an interesting series of videos by Dr Michael Greger MD.
Lignans in Oil
Lignans are water soluble they don’t dissolve in oil and don’t occur in linseed oil, unless particles of linseed remain in the oil when bottled.
High Lignan Linseed (Flaxseed) Oil
Some people recommend “high lignan”linseed (flax seed) oil. Lignans are really water soluble so the “lignans” in the oil are simply bits of linseeds that have been finely broken in the pressing process and not filtered out; high lignan linseed oil is really the ultimate in unfiltered linseed oil. As the lignans tend to settle to the bottom of the oil and need hard shaking to incorporate them back into the oil bottles of high lignan linseed oil should be stored on their side.
High lignan linseed (flax seed) oil does look a bit black, sludgy and unappetising! If you don’t fancy it or can’t find it don’t worry you are getting plenty of lignans from all the linseed you are grinding up and adding to your meals; by comparison to the amount we get from ground linseed even the highest lignan oil contributes only a small amount of lignans to your diet.
High lignan linseed oil isn’t necessary for the Budwig diet but it is an option worth considering for anyone wanting to get all the nutrients their food could have. High lignan linseed oil is online available from Flax Farm.
If you are already consuming ground linseeds you don’t really need to have High Lignan linseed oil because the amount of lignans you get in a tablespoon of oil is only be the equivalent of the lignans from a tiny pinch of ground linseed.