My mother is getting big into the wonders of Flaxseed oil. She takes about a tablespoon per day, and she is really liking it. She said that it is giving her energy, helping her to lose weight (especially belly fat) and supressing her appetite (this is of course in addition to eating right and working out). All of this came about after she read some new weight loss book. What I’m wondering is whether or not flaxseed oil really helps do all this, or is it all physchological? I just don’t want people to come out in a few months and have bad information about this substance.
I certainly haven’t heard that flaxseed oil is harmful. My optometrist recommended it to me as a remedy for dry eyes caused by rosacea - it really did help, although it took several months to really notice a difference. It also seemed to help a bit with my facial “rosiness”. I’ve heard claims too that it is healthy for your heart (being an Omega 3 oil, I believe).
I don’t know about getting energy from it, other than the usual way, or suppressing your appetite, but it does have Omega 3 fatty acids and is one of the few non-animal based ways to get them. You are not supposed to eat more than one serving of fish per week nowadays due to mercury in the fish. If you want to get Omega 3 fatty acids which have been a normal part of the human diet and seem to be good for you, flax seed is a way to get that and not get mercury. Is it a current fad? Undoubtably. Is it a bad idea? Not unless you eat more than you need. Vitamin C was a big fad a few years ago, but that did not make eating an orange a day a bad idea.
Omega 3 oils are about as close to a wonder drug as you’re going to get in the supplement world, and pretty much everyone would do well to eat more of them. Be aware, however, that there is a difference between the omega 3s in flax oil and fish oil, so the specific benefits of one may not carry over to the other. Have a look here for more detail.
If you have a bad lipid profile (heavy on the LDL side or omega-6 side), flax will fix it.
Like coconunt and fish oils, it metabolises very quickly (since it bypasses the carnitine system), so don’t be afraid to use liberally. Just remember to buy it in cold-pressed liquid form and never to heat it.
