Abstract
Background: Hyperlipidemia and hypertension are the most important causes of ischemic heart disease. There is evidence that flaxseed powder can improve lipid profile and blood pressure. In this study, we want to investigate the effects of flaxseed powder consumption on patients with hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Methods: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 80 hyperlipidemic and hypertensive patients (men and women between 20 and 60 years old). In this study, participants were recruited from Imam Khomeini hospital clinics of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2017 randomly allocated to flaxseed powder group and placebo group. The intervention group received 36 g of flaxseed sachet (n = 40), and control group received 12 g placebo sachet (n = 40) for 8 weeks. Serum lipid profiles, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, and anthropometric indices were measured. Data were analyzed by using SPSS. Results: We found significant reduction (P < 0.001) in anthropometric indices (waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio) and lipid profiles (triglycerides [P = 0.015], total cholesterol [P = 0.018], and low-density lipoprotein [P < 0.001]) within flaxseed group in comparison with placebo group. Conclusions: Based on beneficial effects of flaxseed on cardiovascular risk factors, it seems that flaxseed consumption can be considered as a useful therapeutic approach for reducing lipid profile and anthropometric indices.
Link to Full Text
Key Points
This study was designed to assess the potential effects of a new form of flaxseed powder (sachet) among individuals with high risk of cardiovascular disease. The objective of the present randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of flaxseed sachet on serum levels of lipid profiles, blood pressure, anthropometric indices, and fasting blood sugar in hyperlipidemic-hypertensive patients.
In the present study, systolic (flaxseed group = −5.55 mmHg reduction, placebo group = −3.63 reduction) and diastolic blood pressure (flaxseed group = −3 mmHg reduction, placebo group = −2.5 reduction) had more reduction within flaxseed group than control group. However, this difference did not reach to a significant level when comparing two groups. The underlying mechanisms for antihypertensive effects of flaxseed on blood pressure are not entirely clear. However, some studies showed that flaxseed peptides may induce an antihypertensive effect through their rich arginine content.[16] Furthermore, each component of whole flaxseed including fiber, ALA, lignans, and peptides together might offer synergistic effects against hypertension.
No significant reduction in fasting blood sugar of participants wad noted. The current study demonstrated that taking flaxseed sachet for 8 weeks had significant effects on lipid profiles (TG, CHO, HDL, and LDL) reduction of participants. This is the first study that has shown the effectiveness of flaxseed consumption in forms of sachet on lipid profiles and blood pressure improvement. This is an important clinical finding that by incorporating flaxseed powder in a regular diet of patients, such changes have been documented in cardiovascular risk factors. It is recommended that whole flaxseed should be used for future studies. In this study, brown flaxseed for intervention group was used. It is suggested that the potential effects of golden flaxseed should be determined in next studies.