Contract number QLK1-CT-2002-71714

Linseed

• The composition of linseed is typically 42% fat and 28% dietary fibre.

Lignans

• The most remarkable components of linseed hull are the lignans, mainly secoisolariciresinol (SECO), but also matairesinol (MATA) and some novel lignans. The linseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant sources.

• Plant and mammalian lignans are weakly oestrogenic molecules. They exert a broad spectrum of biological activities, including anti-cancer and anti-atherogenic effects in animals and in vitro systems (Adlercreutz & Mazur, 1997; Thompson et al., 1996, Kurzer & Hu, 1997; Bingham et al., 1998).
• Enterodiol (END) and enterolactone (ENL) are formed by bacterial flora in the colon, from SECO and MATA from linseed (Borriello et al., 1985).

• Plasma levels of enterolactone have been associated with lower risk of acute coronary events (Vanharanta et al., 1999) or with lower risk of breast cancer (Ingram et al., 1997; Pietinen et al., 2001; Adlercreutz, 2002).

Unsaturated fatty acids

• Linseed is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the parent compound of the omega-3 fatty acids. When consumed, (ALA) is converted by the body, based on its need, into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

• Unsaturated fatty acids, especially the omega-3 forms, are linked to improved health, including reduction in the rate of blood clotting and, therefore, the likehood of heart disease.

 Literature cited

• Adlercreutz, H. & Mazur, W. 1997. Phyto-oestrogens and Western diseases. Annals of Medicine 29: 95‑120.

• Adlercreutz, H. 2002. Phyto-oestrogens and cancer. Lancet Oncology 3: 364–373.

• Bingham, S.A., Atkinson, C., Liggins, J., Bluck, L. & Coward, A. 1998. Phyto-oestrogens: where are we know? British Journal of Nutrition 79: 393‑406.

• Borriello, S.P., Setchell, K.D.R., Axelson, M. & Lawson, A.M. 1985. Production and metabolism of lignans by the human faecal flora. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 58: 37‑43.

• Ingram, D., Sanders, K., Kolybaba, M. and Lopez, D. 1997. Case-control Study of Phyto-oestrogens and Breast Cancer. Lancet 350: 990-994.

• Kurzer, M.S. & Hu, X. 1997. Dietary phytoestrogens. Annual Review of Nutrition 17: 353‑381.

• Pietinen P, Stumpf K, Mannisto S, Kataja V, Uusitupa M & Adlercreutz H. 2001. Serum enterolactone and risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in eastern Finland. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 10: 339–344.

• Thompson, L.U., Seidl, M., Rickard, S., Orcheson, L. & Fong, H. 1996. Antitumorigenic effect of a mammalian lignan precursor from flaxseed. Nutrition and Cancer 26: 159-165.

• Vanharanta, M., Voutilainen, S., Lakka, T., van der Lee, M., Adlercreutz, H. & Salonen, J. 1999. Risk of acute coronary events according to serum concentrations of enterolactone: a prospective population-based case-control study. Lancet 354: 2112–2115.