亚麻籽作为一种营养价值极高的健康食品，在欧美国家十分盛行。

然而由于在国内不太常见，大多数人对它的营养功效并不了解，甚至还会出现误解。

因此，今天我们选择了几个大家都比较关切的问题，希望与大家一起走近亚麻籽，了解亚麻籽的养生之道。

亚麻籽和亚麻籽油营养成分表

知识问答

问：糖尿病患者可以吃亚麻籽吗？

答：可以的，因为亚麻籽中富含许多能够有效预防糖尿病的营养物质。

例如，亚麻籽中的木酚素和纤维有助于抑制糖尿病的发展，并且能够帮助糖尿病患者控制其血糖水平。

另外，亚麻酸的摄入也有助于降低糖尿病风险，同时有利于提高体内胰岛素的敏感度。

问：我正在减肥，可以吃亚麻籽吗？

答：可以的。

虽然亚麻籽因含油而使其卡路里含量相对较高，但它实际上有助于促进个人的体重管理。

由于高纤维、营养成分高的食物，比如亚麻籽，容易使人产生饱腹感，因此反而更有助于减肥，或者可能更重要的是，防止体重增加。

同时，减肥时食用亚麻籽也有益于健康，因为它可以帮助补充人体因减肥而减少摄入的血胆固醇。

问：亚麻籽如何帮助预防心脏病呢？

答：亚麻籽中的亚麻酸、木酚素以及纤维都有助于促进心脏健康。

其中，亚麻酸能够降低心脏病和中风的风险，帮助维持稳定的心跳以及减少危险血块的形成；木酚素作为抗氧化剂，能够防止心脏病的发展及改善血压；纤维则能够通过降低胆固醇总量与LDL“坏”胆固醇含量降低心脏病风险。

问：亚麻籽有助于降低患癌风险吗？

答：亚麻籽是最富含木酚素的物质。

木酚素是一种具有防癌特性的植物雌激素

目前，在男性和女性人群中，最常见的癌症类型分别是前列腺癌和乳腺癌，在这两种癌症的发展和扩散过程中，性激素（雌性激素和睾酮）扮演着重要的角色，而木酚素却能够有效调节雌性激素和睾酮在人体内的活动，从而降低由性激素所致癌症的风险。

不仅如此，木酚素的抗氧化性也有助于消除炎症，众所周知，炎症对于癌症来说就如同燃料对于火一样。除此之外，亚麻籽中的亚麻酸也有抗感染的作用。

另外，经常食用亚麻籽还能够增加人体内纤维的摄入量，而食用高纤维的食物同样有助于降低患癌风险。

还需指出的是，对于已经确诊的癌症患者，亚麻籽与药物治疗并不相互排斥。

来自加拿大亚麻籽协会，萨省上海办编辑。以下为英文原文：

FlaxandYourHealth

Q.Whatarethehealthbenefitsofflaxseed?

Flaxseedcontainsseveraldisease-fightingcompounds,primarilytheomega-3fattyacid,alpha-linolenicacid(ALA),fibre,andlignans.FlaxseedisoneoftherichestsourcesofALA,anomega-3polyunsaturatedfatthatoffersuniquehearthealthbenefits.Flaxseedisanexcellentsourceofbothsolubleandinsolublefibre,providingthreegramsoffibrepertablespoon.Italsoispackedfulloflignans,naturalcancer-preventativephytonutrients,andvitaminsandmineralssuchasfolate,vitaminE,vitaminB-6,copper,zinc,magnesium,and(dryounceforounce)morepotassiumthansevenbananas.Flaxseedhasbeenshowntohelpreducetheriskheartdisease,reducesymptomsofinflammatorydisorders,protectagainstsomecancersymptoms,reducecholesterol,andeveneasetheeffectsoftype2diabetes.Learnmoreaboutthehealthbenefitsofflaxseedandmakeitanimportantpartofyourdailydiet.

Q.Whatissobeneficialaboutomega-3fattyacids?

ThemajorityofWesterndietsnolongercontaintheamountofomega-3fattyacidsneededforoverallhealthandwellness.Today,weareconsumingmorethan10timesasmanyomega-6fattyacidsasweareomega-3fattyacidsbecauseoftheincreaseofhighlyprocessedfoodsinmoderndiets.Linoleicacidisanessentialomega-6fattyacidrequiredbythebodyinmoderate,notexcessive,amounts.Itistheprimaryfatinsoybeanandcornoils.Eatinglessomega-6andmoreomega-3fats,fromfoodslikeALA-richflaxseed,canhelplowertheriskofchronicdiseaseslikeheartdisease,stroke,andcancer,aswellaslowerLDL"bad"cholesterol.Infact,largescalestudiesconfirmthatplant-derivedomega-3'sofferuniqueheart-healthybenefits.Recently,scientistshavediscoveredthatflaxseedmayplayanimportantanti-inflammatoryroleinreducingimmunesystemdiseases.FlaxseedALAhasbeenshowntolowerbloodlevelsofacompoundcalledC-reactiveprotein(CRP).ReducingthisinflammatorycompoundappearstobeasimportantasloweringLDL-cholesterolinloweringtheriskofheartattacksandstrokes.

Q.HowmuchALAdoesflaxseedcontaincomparedtootherfoodsources?

Asshowninthefollowingtable,flaxseedistherichestsourceofALAincomparisontootherfoodsfoundintheNorthAmericandiet.

Q.Doesflaxseedcontainprotein?

Flaxseedisagreatsourceofplant-basedprotein.Theproteinfoundinflaxseedisverysimilartothatofsoybeanprotein,whichisconsideredoneofthemostnutritiousplantproteins.Thisisattributedtothetypeofaminoacidspresent,whicharethebuildingblocksofprotein.Flaxseedcontainsnumerous“essentialaminoacids”,whichthebodycannotproduceandthereforemustobtainfromthediet.Thisisofsignificancetovegetariansrelyingonplantsourcestomeettheirdailyproteinrequirements.

Q.Whatarelignans?

Lignansarenaturalantioxidantsthatreducetheactivityofcell-damagingfreeradicals,slowtheagingprocess,andincreaseoverallwellness.Flaxseedcontainsupto800timesmorelignansthanotherplantsources,suchaswholegrainsandlegumes.Besidesactingasantioxidants,lignansarephytoestrogens—activesubstancesderivedfromplantsthatmimictheactionofestrogenhormonesinthebody.Researchcontinuestoshowthepotentialoflignansfortreatingmenopausalsymptomswithouttraditionaldrugsandreducingtheriskofhormone-sensitivecancersofthebreast,prostate,andendometrium.Lignansareespeciallyimportantforwomenasstudieshaveshownthattheymaydecreasetheriskofbreastcancer,aswellasminimizecancersymptoms,andreducethespreadandgrowthofbreastcancerafterdiagnosis.Lignansalsopossesspowerfulantioxidantandanti-inflammatorypropertiesassociatedwithalowerriskofartery-cloggingplaques.Lignansalsohavebeenfoundeffectiveinloweringtheriskoftype1and2diabetes.

Q.What'sthedifferencebetweenomega-3fattyacidsfromflaxseedandthosefoundinfishoil?

Flaxseedisveryhighintheomega-3fatalpha-linolenicacid(ALA).Thisisan"essential"omega-3fatbecauseourbodiesarenotabletoproduceitandwemustconsumeitinourdietsfromsourceslikeflaxseed.Otheromega-3fats,EPA(eicosapentaenoicacid)andDHA(docosahexaenoicacid),foundinmarinesourcessuchasfish,krillandalgae,arevitalforhealth,butarenotconsidered"essential”becauseourbodiescanmakethemfromALA.Alloftheseomega-3fattyacidshelpdecreaseinflammation,whichisatriggerforheartdisease,diabetes,cancer,andarthritis.Flaxseedisuniqueinthatitalsoisarichsourceoflignans,atypeofphytoestrogenthatmayreducetheriskofcancer,aswellasarichsourceoffibre,whichlowerscholesterolandmaintainsdigestivehealth.Althoughfishdoesnothavelignansandfibrelikeflaxseed,itisagoodsourceofprotein.Fishcancontaintracesofmercury,andtheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)andHealthCanadaadvisewomenwhoarepregnant,nursing,ormaybecomepregnant,aswellasyoungchildren,toavoideatingcertainfish.Asaplantfood,flaxseedisalsoadvantageousoverfishsourcesofomega-3fattyacidsduetoconcernsregardingthelimitedglobalavailability,highcost,allergenicity,andsustainabilityofseafoodproducts.

Q.Arethereanypermittedhealthclaimsforflaxseed?

In2014,HealthCanadaapprovedahealthclaimlinkinggroundwholeflaxseedtobloodcholesterollowering,amajorriskfactorforheartdisease.Theclaim–onlyoneofelevenapprovedinCanada-wasbasedonevidencethatflaxseedintakecandecreasetotalcholesterolby0.6to9percentandLDL“bad”cholesterolby3.4to14.9percent.Thesereductionsincholesterolarerelatedtoaoneto18percentdecreaseinheartdiseaserisk.Toachievethemaximumhearthealthbenefits,itisrecommendedthatweconsume5tablespoons(40g)ofgroundwholeflaxseedoverthreeeatingoccasionsintheday.

Q.Howdoesflaxseedreducetheriskofheartdisease?

TheALA,lignansandfibrecomponentsinflaxseedpromotehearthealth.DietaryintakeofALAisassociatedwithlowerriskofhavingaheartattackorstroke,helpstomaintainastableheartbeat,andreducestheformationofdangerousbloodclots.Lignansactasantioxidantstoprotectagainstthedevelopmentofheartdiseaseandimprovebloodpressure.ThedietaryfibreinflaxseedhelpstodecreasetheriskofheartdiseasebyreducingtotalcholesterolandLDL“bad”cholesterol.

Q.Doesflaxseedreducetheriskofcancer?

Flaxseedistherichestsourceoflignans,atypeofphytoestrogenthathavecancerpreventiveproperties.Prostateandbreastcancerareleadingtypesofcancerinmenandwomen,respectively.

Q.Canpeoplewithdiabeteseatflaxseed?

Yes.Flaxseedispackedwithnutrientsthathelpinthefightagainstdiabetes.Flaxseedlignansandfibreprotectagainstthedevelopmentofdiabetesandassistthosewithdiabetesincontrollingtheirbloodsugarlevels.DietaryintakeofALAisassociatedwithamodestreductionindiabetesriskandmayhelptoincreaseinsulinsensitivity.

Q.Iamtryingtoloseweight.CanIeatflaxseed?

Yes.Whilethecaloriccontentisrelativelyhighforflaxseedduetoitsoilcontent,flaxseedmayactuallyhelppromoteweightmanagement.Consumptionofnutrient-rich,highfibrefoodssuchasflaxseedcontributetosatietyandmayhelpwithweightlossor,possiblymoreimportantly,preventingweightgain.Flaxseedalsocanhelpimproveyourhealthwhileyouarelosingweightbydecreasingbloodcholesterollevelsandinflammation.

Q.Doesflaxseedcontaingluten?

No.Sourcesofglutenincludewheat,barleyandrye.Peoplediagnosedwithceliacdiseaseorglutenintoleranceneedtoeliminateglutenfromtheirdiet.Flaxseedispermittedonagluten-freediet.

Q.HowmuchfibreshouldIconsumeeachday?

Therecommendedintakeoftotaldietaryfibreis25g/dayforwomenand38g/dayformen.Solublefibrecanlowerbloodcholesterollevels,whileinsolublefibremovesthestoolthroughthecolonmorequickly,helpingbowelmovements.Inspiteofthehealthbenefitsoffibre,averageintakeamongCanadiansisonlyabouthalftherecommendedamountandabout90%oftheU.S.populationdoesnotconsumeenoughfibre.Flaxseedcontainsbothsolubleandinsolublefibre.Twotablespoonsofflaxseedprovidesabout4goftotaldietaryfibre–asignificantamounttoboostyourdailyfibreintake!

Q.Whatistherecommendedamountofomega-3fattyacids?

TheInstituteofMedicinesettheAdequateIntakeofALAat1.6g/dayformenand1.1g/dayforwomen,or0.6-1.2%ofenergyintake,withadietaryomega-6toomega-3ratioof5:1to10:1.

Q.Howdoesflaxseedbenefitathletesandsportstraining?

Theomega-3fattyacid,alpha-linolenic(ALA),isanessentialfattyacidfoundinflaxseedthathelpstoimprovethemetabolismoffats,whichisespeciallyhelpfulforendurancesports,suchasmarathons.Whenarunner"hitsthewall"andtheirglycogenstoresareusedup,thebodybeginsburningfats.Inthiscase,efficientburningoffatsmakesadifferenceinperformance.

Q.Howdoesflaxseedpromotehealthy,radiantskin?

Flaxseedhasauniqueandhealthyfattyacidprofileintheoilwith57percentasALA,givingtheseedaveryfavourableomega-6toomega-3ratioof0.3:1.Flaxseedthereforeprovidesaveryimportantsourceofomega-3forskinhealth.FlaxseednaturallycontainsaveryactiveandstableantioxidantsystemthatprotectsitsoilcontentofALA.

Q.I'veheardthatIneedtogrindwholeflaxseed.Whyisthat?

Whilewholeandgroundflaxseedhavethesamenutritionalcontentyourbodygetsmorebenefitfromgroundflaxseed.That'sbecausethegoodnessinflaxseediswrappedupinahard,shinyseedcoatthat'shardtocrack,evenwithcarefulchewing.

Q.Isthereadifferencebetweenflaxseedandflaxseedoil?

Yes.Flaxseedoilisthepurifiedfatthatresultsfromthecold-pressingofflaxseeds.Becauseitisthefatportionoftheseed,itcontainshighlevelsofomega-3ALA(55-58percentonaperweightbasisincomparisonto18-23percentfromwholeormilledseed).

Q.Whatisflaxseedoilandwhattypesareavailable?

Flaxseedoilresultsfrompressingtheoilfromtheseed.Therearetwotypesofflaxseedoilavailable—conventionalandorganic.Thesetypesofflaxseedoildifferinthewaytheseedisgrown,butthenutritionalcontentisthesame.

Q.HowmuchflaxseedshouldIeateachday?

Togetthefullhealthbenefitsofflaxseed,werecommendeating2tablespoons(about16g)ofgroundflaxseedperday.Ifyouareconcernedabout,orhavebeendiagnosedwith,highbloodcholesterollevels,HealthCanadarecommendseating5tablespoons(40g)ofgroundwholeflaxseedoverthreeeatingoccasionsintheday.

Whenusinggroundflaxseed,becauseofitshighfibrecontent,increasetheamountyoueatslowly,startingwithaboutone-halftoonetablespoonperdayandworkinguptothehigherlevels.

Q.Isflaxseedsafeforchildrenandtoddlers?

Flaxseedisanaturalplantsourceofvitalnutrientsandisconsideredsafeforhealthypeopleofallagegroups.Werecommendnomorethanone-quartertablespoondailyforyoungchildren.

Q.Whatisthenutrientprofileofgroundflaxseedandflaxseedoil?

Onaverage,Canadianflaxseedcontains41%fat(23%asALA),20%protein,and28%totaldietaryfibre.Adetailednutrientbreakdownofflaxseedanditsoilisfoundinthebelowtable.

Q.HowcanIaddflaxseedintomydiet?

Flaxseedisaddedtomanyproductsontoday'sgroceryshelvesbecauseoftheomega-3fats,lignans,andfibrefoundintheseed,allofwhichhelpdeliverauniqueandnutritioushealthboostthataidsinoverallwellness.Herearesomewaystouseflax:

Wholeflaxseed.

Milled(ground)flaxseed.

Flaxseedoil.

Gelcapsules.

Omega-3-enrichedeggs.

Omega-3-enrichedfoods.

Checkoutourhealthyrecipesformoreideas!

Q.Canomega-3-enrichedeggshelpmemeettherecommendeddietaryintakeforALA?

Hensarefedflaxseedtoproduceomega-3-enrichedeggs.Oneomega-3-enrichedeggprovidesonaverage0.34gofALAand0.13gofEPA+DHA.Byitself,oneomega-3-enrichedeggprovidesaboutone-quartertoone-halfoftheAdequateIntakeofALA,dependingonyourageandgender.

Q.Isflaxseedorganic?

Thereareafewcompaniesthatofferorganicallygrownflaxseed,labelingtheseedsandoilswithan"organic"symbol.The"organic"symbolisamarkwhichisearnedwhencompanieshavemettherequirementsoforganicfoodproduction.

Q.Isflaxseedgeneticallymodified?

No.GeneticallymodifiedflaxseedisnotlegalforsaleinCanadaortheUS.Althoughageneticallymodifiedflaxseedvarietywasdevelopedinthe1990s,thevarietyhasbeenderegisteredandordereddestroyed.

Q.CanIeattoomuchflaxseed?

Whileflaxseedprovidesnumeroushealthbenefits,itispossibletogettoomuchofagoodthing.Cookingorbakingwithflaxseedisaperfectlysafepractice.

Q.Iamonbloodthinners.CanIeatflaxseed?

Warfarin(brandnameCoumadin®)isacommonmedicationusedtopreventbloodclots.Sincewarfarincaninteractwithsomefoodsandover-the-countersupplements,itisimportanttotellyourdoctoraboutanyothermedicationsorsupplementsthatyoutake.

Q.Ihavediverticulardisease.CanIeatflaxseed?

Diverticulosisistheformationoftinypockets,calleddiverticula,inthewallofthelargeintestine.Manypeoplewithdiverticulosisdonotevenknowthattheyhaveit.However,somepeopleexperiencesymptomsduetodiverticularbleedingordiverticulitis(infectionofthediverticula).

Q.Doesflaxseedhelpwithprostatehealth?

Prostatecancerisaleadingtypeofcancerdiagnosedinmen.Sexhormones(estrogenandtestosterone)playkeyrolesinthedevelopmentandprogressionofprostatecancerbyincreasingproductionofnewcancercells,spreadingthecancertootherorgans,andpromotingthegrowthofnewbloodvesselsthatsupportthespreadofthecancer.

Q.Isflaxseedorflaxseedoilsafetoconsumeduringpregnancy?

Thelignansinflaxseedhavethepotentialtoexertmildestrogeniceffectsduringpregnancy.Limitedevidencefromanimalstudiessuggestsadverseeffectsintheoffspringofpregnantanimalsfeddietshighinflaxseed.

Q.Doesflaxseedcontaintransfat?

Transfatincreasestheriskofheartdiseaseandshouldbeavoided.Transfatiscreatedwhenliquidvegetableoilsaremadeintosolidfatsbyaprocesscalledhydrogenation.Hydrogenatedoilsareoftenusedinprocessedfoodsbecausetheyimprovethetasteandtextureofthefoodandhelpkeepthefoodfresherforlonger.

Q.ShouldItakefishorflaxseedoilsupplements?

Therearesolidhealthbenefitsattributabletobothfishandflaxseedoils.Theomega3fattyacid,alpha-linolenicacid(ALA),inflaxseedoilisentirelydifferentfromeicosapentaenoicacid(EPA)anddocosahexaenoicacid(DHA)infishoil.

Q.Whichishealthier–flaxseedorchiaseed?

Chiaseedisawholegrainthathasbeenusedbyhumansforcenturies.Likeflaxseed,chiaseedsarehighindietaryfibreandalpha-linolenicacid(ALA),withover50%ofitsoilcontentbeingALA.

Q.WhydoweneedOmega3fatsfromflaxseed?

ALAisthetrueessentialomega-3fattyacid,beingrequiredinourdietsbecauseourbodiesdonotmakeit;theotheromega-3fattyacidslikeEPAandDHAarenot“essential”inthestrictestsensebecauseourbodiesmakethemfromdietaryALAandtissuestoresofALA.Nonetheless,allomega-3fattyacids–includingALA,EPAandDHA–areoftencalled“essentialfattyacids”becausetheirimportanceinhumannutritionandhealthiswidelyrecognized.

Q.Whatareomega-6fattyacids?

Omega-6fattyacidsbelongtoanentirelydifferentfamilyoffattyacidsthantheomega-3fattyacids.Themainomega-6fattyacidinthedietislinoleicacid,whichistheessentialomega-6fattyacid,beingrequiredinthedietbecauseourbodiesdonotmakeit.Themaindietarysourcesofomega-6fattyacidsarevegetableoilslikesunfloweroil,cornoilandsoybeanoilandfoodproductsmadewiththeseoils.

Q.Isthedietaryomega-6/omega-3ratioimportant?

ThedietofhumanslivinginthePaleolithicerawasrichinomega-3fattyacids,withadietaryratioofomega-6fattyacidstoomega-3fattyacidsofabout1:1.

Q.Isomega-3fattyacidproductionsustainable?

Currentintakesofeicosapentaenoicacid(EPA)anddocosahexaenoicacid(DHA),thelong-chainomega-3fattyacidsfoundmainlyinfattyfish,areabout100to200mg/day.Achievingrecommendedhigherintakesof500mgto1gofEPA+DHAdailywillbechallengingonseveralfronts.Anyincreaseinconsumers’fishintakeislikelytoplaceadditionalpressuresonglobalfishstocks,manyofwhichareoverfished.

Q.Howhealthyarepeoplewhodonoteatfishortakefishoilsupplements?

Plantsareasourceofalpha-linolenicacid(ALA).Manypopulationsdonotconsumefishrelyinginsteadonplantbaseddiets.Full-terminfants,forexample,obtainanadequateamountofomega-3fattyacids,includingDHA,forbraindevelopmentfrombreastmilkorenrichedinfantformula.Furthermore,full-terminfantsborntoveganandvegetarianwomen,whotypicallyhavelowDHAintakes,appeartodevelopnormallyanddonotexhibitdeficitsinbraindevelopment.

Q.Doweneedtoconsumemoreomega-3fattyacids?

Currentintakesofomega-3fattyacidsmaynotbeoptimalNorthAmericansconsumeonaverageabout1.5gor1500mgofalpha-linolenicacid(ALA)perday–morethanenoughtopreventdeficiencysymptoms.

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