Flax Seed Omega 3

Flax seed omega 3 fact # 1

Flax seed is a rich source of a beneficial fatty acid called Omega 3 Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA). ALA has been showed to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and including flax seed omega 3 in your diet is therefore a good thing, especially if you need to counter act risk factors such as stress, high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease.

Flax seed omega 3 fact # 2

Omega 3 Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) is not only interesting in its own right; the human body can actually use it to form two other highly beneficial fatty acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are long chain fatty acids, and just like ALA they have been shown to decrease the risk of hearth disease. In September 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally recognized the link between EPA/DHA and coronary heart disease prevention. Since then, a manufacturer sell products rich in EPA/DHA may place a special FDA approved informational text on the products to make it easier for consumer to choose products that will help them decrease the risk of developing hearth problems.

Flax seed omega 3 fact # 3

If you want your body to benefit from the flax seed omega 3 fatty acids, you must break the shell of the seeds. Flax seed shells are really hard and durable and our intestines cannot penetrate it to get to the beneficial omega 3 oils found inside. This means that flax seeds should ideally be harshly grounded or turned into flax seed meal before use. Carefully chewing the seeds is naturally also an option since this will break the shells and make the flax seed omega 3 oils available for the human body. Keep in mind that as soon as the protective shell has been broken, the flax seeds will start to loose their nutritional value. It is therefore best to grind no more seeds than what you will need that day.

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