Flaxseed: Evidence-Based Cardiovascular and Other Medicinal Benefits

Description

Physicians, scientists and savvy laypeople want reliable information on foods and supplements which might improve the outcome in chronic diseases that otherwise shorten our lives. These health conditions include type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and others. Incorporating flaxseed into one's diet can greatly improve outcomes in various health conditions. Thousands of peer-reviewed articles have been published documenting the clinical efficacy of flaxseed as a whole or its individual components and reveal the mechanisms by which those various components work. Flaxseed: Evidence-Based Cardiovascular and Other Medicinal Benefits is an encyclopedic and definitive text describing the health benefits of this humble plant. The book features exquisite detail on the three major components of the plant that are responsible for most of the documented benefits, those components being omega-3 fatty acids and two compounds that increase endothelial production of nitric oxide, those compounds being the amino acid L-arginine, and cyanogenic glycosides. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgments Disclaimer Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Flax—Garment of Pharaohs and Health-Giving Seeds 1.2 Flax—A Functional Food 1.3 Cyanogenic Glycosides (CNglcs) 1.4 How Safe Is It to Consume Flaxseed? 1.5 Disclaimer 1.5.1 CAVEAT 1.6 Supplement Dosages in Clinical and Research Trials 1.6.1 Flaxseed 1.6.2 Omega-3 PUFAs—Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) 1.6.3 L-Arginine 1.7 Ad Lib Supplementation 1.7.1 Raw Flaxseed 1.7.2 Including Flaxseed in Daily Diet 1.8 Summary 1.9 References Chapter 2 Flaxseed, a Functional Food—Constituents and Their Health Benefits 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Constituents That Make Flaxseed a Functional Food 2.3 Flaxseed Oil/Lipid Components 2.4 Proteins 2.5 Dietary Fiber 2.6 Lignans 2.7 Minerals 2.8 The Health Benefits of Flaxseed 2.9 CNglcs in Flaxseeds, NO-Donors 2.10 Guidelines to Supplementation of Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil 2.10.1 Recommended Flaxseed Supplement Content of ALA 2.11 Potential Anti-Nutritional Aspects of Flaxseed 2.12 Health Benefits of Flax Proteins 2.13 Summary 2.14 References Chapter 3 The Beneficial Effect of Omega-3 PUFA and L-Arginine on Endothelial Nitric Oxide (NO) Bioavailability 3.1 The More You NO 3.2 Nitric Oxide: The 1992 Science “Molecule of the Year” 3.3 Bottom Line . . . the Endothelium 3.3.1 The Structure and Function of the Endothelium 3.4 How Does the Body Form NO? 3.4.1 Footnote to History 3.5 Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Oxidative Stress—A Major Cause of Endothelium Damage 3.6 Endothelial NO from L-Arginine—Nitric Oxide Synthase (eNOS) 3.7 How Endothelium-Derived Nitric Oxide (eNO) Is Formed 3.8 NO Formed from CNglcs 3.9 The Blood Vessels of the Blood Vessels (Vasa Vasorum) Are Regulated by NO 3.9.1 Structure and Function of Vasa Vasorum 3.9.2 Vasa Vasorum Depends Exclusively on Endothelium-Derived (NO) Vasorelaxation 3.10 The Endothelial Glycocalyx 3.10.1 The Glycocalyx Regulates eNO Formation 3.11 The Endothelial Glycocalyx in Health and Disease 3.11.1 Diabetes 3.11.2 Atherosclerosis 3.11.3 Hypertension 3.11.4 Kidney Function 3.12 Summary 3.13 References Chapter 4 The Role of Flaxseed Micronutrients and Nitric Oxide (NO) in Blood Vessel and Heart Function 4.1 Introduction 4.2 What Propels Blood through the Circulatory System? 4.2.1 Systole 4.2.2 Flaxseed Increases NO Bioavailability 4.2.3 Flaxseed Omega-3 Fatty Acid, Alpha-Linolenic Acid, Promotes eNO Formation 4.2.4 Flaxseed Improves the Ejection Fraction 4.3 Arterial Vessel Compliance 4.3.1 Flaxseed Oil Promotes Arterial Blood Vessel Elasticity (Compliance) 4.4 The Arterial Waveform 4.5 Measuring Blood Flow by Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD) 4.5.1 Flaxseed and L-Arginine Improve FMD 4.6 Endothelial Nitric Oxide (eNO) and Control of Blood Pressure 4.6.1 Endothelium-Independent Control of Blood Pressure 4.6.2 Endothelium-Dependent Control of Blood Pressure 4.6.3 Interaction of Endothelium-Independent and Endothelium-Dependent Blood Flow Control Systems 4.6.4 The Role of NO in Vascular Remodeling in Hypertension 4.6.5 Flaxseed Combats Hypertension 4.7 Flaxseed Combats Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) 4.8 Summary 4.9 References Chapter 5 Omega-3 Fatty Acids and NO from Flax Intervention in Atherosclerosis and Chronic Systemic Inflammation 5.1 Atherosclerosis 5.1.1 The Causal Role of ROS in Atherosclerosis 5.1.2 Omega-3 Fatty Acids, an Antioxidant Flaxseed Constituent Can Prevent, Even Reverse, Atherosclerosis 5.1.3 Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Flaxseed 5.1.4 Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Flaxseed and Elevated Blood Cholesterol 5.1.5 Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Flaxseed Lower Triglycerides 5.1.6 L-Arginine (Abundant in Flaxseed) Prevents, Even Reverses, Atherosclerosis 5.2 Chronic Systemic Inflammation 5.2.1 C-Reactive Protein in Inflammation 5.2.2 Omega-3 ALA Reduces Inflammation 5.2.3 L-Arginine, per se, and Inflammation 5.2.4 Flax/Omega-3 and Rheumatoid Arthritis 5.3 Summary 5.4 References Chapter 6 Flaxseed and L-Arginine, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, per se, in Treatment of Hypertension and Sickle Cell Disease 6.1 Hypertension 6.1.1 Hypertension as Omega-3 Deficiency 6.1.2 Flax/Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduces Blood Pressure—The Harris Omega-3 Index 6.1.3 The Safety of Cyanogenic Glycosides in Flaxseed 6.1.4 L-Arginine Supplementation Reduces Blood Pressure 6.1.5 Studies Citing Flaxseed or Flax Oil, per se, and Hypertension 6.1.6 Could It Be Due to Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) When L-Arginine Fails? 6.1.6.1 Does ADMA Explain the Arginine Paradox? 6.2 Endothelial Dysfunction in Sickle Cell Disease and L-Arginine Therapy 6.3 Summary 6.4 References Chapter 7 L-Arginine and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Adjuvant Treatmentfor Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease 7.1 The Contribution of Flaxseed Constituents in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus 7.1.1 Oxidative Stress in Type 2 Diabetes 7.1.2 Endothelial Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes 7.2 Flaxseed as Adjuvant Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes 7.2.1 Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Triglycerides in Type 2 Diabetes 7.2.2 Type 2 Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease 7.2.3 Omega-3 Fatty Acid as Adjuvant Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) 7.2.4 Omega-3 Fatty Acid as Adjuvant Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes with Diabetic Nephropathy 7.2.5 Treatment Dosage Matters 7.2.6 L-Arginine as Adjuvant Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes—Is Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus an NO Deficiency Disease? 7.3 Flax, Inflammation and Endothelium Dysfunction in CKD 7.3.1 Flaxseed as Adjuvant Treatment of CKD 7.3.2 Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Adjuvant Treatment of Kidney Disease 7.3.3 L-Arginine in Treatment of CKD 7.3.4 CKD, Hypertension and Chronic Heart Failure 7.4 Summary 7.5 References Chapter 8 NO from Flaxseed Enhances Sexual Function 8.1 Prologue 8.2 The Oyster and the Blue Pill: Sexual Desire vs. Sexual Performance 8.2.1 What We Learn from The Perfumed Garden of the Shaykh Nefzawi 8.3 The Most Common Cause of Erectile Dysfunction 8.4 Gas Fuels Performance 8.4.1 How a Simple “Blunder” Explains Cardiovascular and Heart Disease 8.5 The Culprit: Oxidative Stress 8.6 The Endothelium Forms Nitric Oxide (eNO) 8.6.1 The Glycocalyx: Sugar Coating the Endothelium 8.7 Sexual Performance Is about Shunting Blood Flow in the Body 8.7.1 The Penis Is Not a Muscle 8.8 The (Ach/NO/cGMP) Pathway to Penile Erection 8.9 The Role of Aging in ED 8.9.1 Do We Just Run Out of Gas as We Age? 8.10 Endothelium Dysfunction Is a Feature of ED 8.11 Enter Flaxseed 8.11.1 Flaxseed Supplies L-Arginine, the Substrate for NO 8.11.2 ROS Jeopardize Erectile Function 8.11.3 Flaxseed Supplies the Antioxidant Omega-3 Fatty Acids Promoting eNO Formation 8.12 Summary 8.13 References Chapter 9 Omega-3 PUFA and L-Arginine for Longer Life Span with a Longer Health Span 9.1 One Way to Longer Life Is to Prevent Shortening It 9.2 How Can We Tell Whether People Who Consume Flaxseed or Flax Oil Age More Slowly, Live Longer? 9.2.1 Omega-3s Concentration Affects Cell Aging via Telomere Length 9.2.2 Omega-3 PUFAs Slow Aging by Lowering Mitochondria Free Radical “Emissions” 9.2.3 Speaking of Cognitive Aging 9.3 Criteria for Omega-3 Suffi ciency: The Omega-3 Index 9.3.1 Availability vs. Absorbability 9.4 Anti-Aging Action of L-Arginine 9.5 Summary 9.6 References Index