Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an omega 3 fatty acid found in plants include flaxseed oil, and in canola, soy, perilla, and walnut oils. We often hear of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, specifically EPA and DHA, but there has not been as much research on ALA from flax seed oil.
Omega-3 fatty acids — especially EPA and DHA — have been shown to reduce inflammation and may help prevent chronic diseases, such as heart disease and arthritis. They may also be important for brain health and development, as well as normal growth and development.
In this clinical trial 15 men participated in a randomized, double blind placebo controlled study (i.e. often considered the gold standard of clinical trial designs) to determine if flax seed oil could improve cardiovascular markers.
Flax seed oil was administered at a concentration 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day containing 5.49 grams of ALA for 12 weeks. At the end of the study flax seed oil was decreased small dense LDL by up to 25.8% in the human subjects after 4 weeks. An interesting observation of the study was that if the LDL was <100 mg/dL flax seed oil did not reduce LDL levels.
LDL is often considered ‘bad’ cholesterol and HDL is considered ‘good’ cholesterol. More evidence has found that within LDL there are different LDLs including ‘small dense’ and ‘fluffy’. Small dense LDL has been found to be more harmful. An easy analogy is to think of small dense LDL as being like a chunk of ice while fluffy or large LDL as being like a soft snowball. When these two different LDLs are bouncing in our blood vessels the ‘small dense LDL’ will cause the most damage of the two.
Take away message: Flax seed oil at 10 grams per day that contained 5.49 grams of ALA reduced harmful LDL by about 25% if they had levels >100 mg/dL to begin with in this clinical trial. This is signficant because the sub-type of LDL was the small dense LDL which is considered the most harmful to heart health. To keep flax seed oil stable it is best to store in a refrigerator after opening to keep it away from light and heat which is what the participants in this study were instructed to do.
Nutrition Journal. 2015; Volume 14: Pages 39-47.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Cholesterol, Good fats (PUFAs, omega-3), Heart
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