Antioxidant Flax Oil
We’ve read about them, read about
them, and perhaps even talked about them with our friends.
Antioxidants, it seems, have created quite a huge wave in the
scientific community that is devoting countless journals and
magazine articles about their many benefits.
Antioxidants are substances that work
on free radicals, or more particularly work to counteract the
damaging effects of these harmful oxygen byproducts. Scientists have
linked free radicals to the development of degenerative diseases,
causing massive cell damage that ultimately results in various
disorders, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid
arthritis, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and much, much more. By
neutralizing free radicals, antioxidants actually prevent the onset
of these diseases and at the same time keep the body healthy and
strong.
Being natural substances,
antioxidants are derived from various plants, including vegetables
and fruits. Blueberries and cranberries are usually the fruits that
are often touted by nutrition scientists as the top antioxidant rich
foods. In the vegetable variety, russet potatoes, red beans, and red
cabbage are topping the list as well. However, there are also other
fruits and vegetables that may contain more essential benefits to
our health. One such food product is flax seed where we get the
beneficial flax oil.
What is Flax Oil?
Flax oil is the essential oil that is
derived from flax seeds, which are a great source of fiber. Flax
seed have been used long before as an herbal remedy that is good for
digestion. But flax has certainly more benefits in store for us.
Flax oil is said to contain a high amount of lignans, protein, fats,
vitamins, and minerals. Lignans especially is that substance in flax
oil that has antioxidant properties.
The Benefits of Flax Oil Lignans
A natural plant chemical, lignans are
antioxidant molecules with anti-cancer, anti-viral, and
anti-bacterial properties. Flax oil is the richest source of lignans.
Diets high in lignans can lead to a lower chance of getting colon,
prostate, and breast cancer.
As an antioxidant, the flax oil’s
lignans can help boost the body’s immune system, keeping harmful,
disease-causing germs from damaging the cells. These plant hormones
are also believed to block the formation of hormone-based tumors.
Lignans also boost the productions of a substance attached to
estrogen and carries it out of the body.
Researchers have found that flax oil
has 75 to 800 percent more lignans than other vegetables and grains.
This makes flax oil the best source of antioxidant-acting lignans.
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Antioxidants
