What is flaxseed? What health benefits does it provide?
Flax is an ancient crop. Native to Eurasia, its first recorded use comes from Babylon about 3000 B.C. There, it was cultivated for food. It also was used to make a fabric used in clothing. (These days, linen comes from flax). Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician called the “father of medicine,” wrote of using flaxseed for the relief of abdominal pain. And, the greatest of all medieval kings, Charlemagne, considered flax so healthy that he passed laws requiring its consumption. Nutrition researchers have identified several substances in flaxseed that appear to have health benefits: lignans, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. Lignans are phytoestrogens (phyto = plant) that are thought to bind to estrogen receptors in the body and may have a role in preventing hormonally related cancers of the breast, endometrium and prostate. Populations with higher intakes of phytoestrogens seem to have a lower incidence and mortality from these cancers. The American Institute for Cancer Research has f
