Flax is a worldwide fiber crop and oil crop. Flax is widely grown around the world, mainly in more than 30 countries including China, Canada, and the United States. In China, the main planting areas include Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Hebei, Xinjiang, etc.

Medicinal value of flaxseed

Flaxseed is rich in α-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, lignans, flax gum and other active substances, which can reduce inflammation and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. , improve memory and other effects. Li Shizhen also recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica" that flaxseed has medicinal values ??such as promoting muscle growth, relieving pain, eliminating carbuncle swelling, and relieving heat and toxins.

Nutrients of flaxseed

The active substances of flaxseed can reduce blood lipids and cholesterol, prevent myocardial infarction and cerebral thrombosis, etc., and are known as "blood vessel scavengers". In Canada and the United States, flax oil has entered thousands of households as a human health edible oil.

Flaxseed contains a variety of oils that the human body needs. Generally, cultivated flaxseed contains 35%-45% oil. The fatty acid composition of the oil contains 39%-62% α-linolenic acid and 15% -18% linoleic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid with high iodine value and is easy to oxidize and polymerize. It is also called dry oil.

The main nutrients of flaxseed include flaxseed protein, flaxseed polysaccharide, flaxseed gum and lignans. Flaxseed protein accounts for 10%-30% of flaxseed. It is a plant protein with high nutritional value. It can be divided into albumin, globulin and glutenin. It has a complete range of amino acids and an essential amino acid content of 5.16%.

Flaxseed polysaccharides contain two main components: rhamnose and arabinoxylan. Rhamnose is an acidic polysaccharide composed of L-fucose, L-rhamnose, D-galactose and D-galacturonic acid, accounting for about 25% of flaxseed polysaccharides; arabinoxylan is composed of arabinose Composed of sugar, galactose and xylose, accounting for approximately 75% of flaxseed polysaccharides.

Flaxseed gum is a soluble dietary fiber, accounting for about 8% of flaxseed. Flaxseed gum can slowly absorb water to form a dispersion system with lower viscosity. Flaxseed gum has good solubility, rheological properties and emulsifying properties. It can be used as a food thickener, stabilizer, etc. in emulsions. In products, sausages, beverages and other products, to make up for people's insufficient dietary fiber intake.

Lignans account for 0.7%-2% of flaxseed, and they mainly exist in the form of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG). Defatted flaxseed powder can be made with higher SDG content. of lignan concentrate.

Health functions of flaxseed

In my country’s health food market, flaxseed has been approved for its health functions of assisting in lowering blood sugar, enhancing immunity, and assisting in improving memory. Below we will mainly talk about the functional ingredients that assist in lowering blood lipids.

Flaxseed intervention can regulate human blood sugar and blood lipid levels and improve lipid distribution. Clinical trials have shown that consuming flaxseed biscuits can reduce constipation symptoms, reduce weight, and improve blood sugar and blood lipid levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The main ingredient in flaxseed that assists in lowering blood lipids is α-linolenic acid. This is a fatty acid that the human body cannot synthesize and must be supplemented from external sources. It is called an essential fatty acid and has the ability to reduce heart load. , improve the regulation of blood sugar and blood lipids, and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

An An has something to say

Health foods are not medicines and can only play a supporting role. If you really need to lower blood lipids, you should first go to the hospital to consult a professional doctor and make a choice based on your own situation.

References:

1. "Research Progress on Extraction of Nutrient Components from Flaxseed and Its Function and Application", China Oils and Fats, 2020

< p> 2. "Research Progress on Flaxseed Health Food and Medicinal Value", Heilongjiang Agricultural Sciences, 2018