Flaxseed

Doctors, researchers, and well-informed general readers who want trustworthy answers about whether particular foods or supplements can change the course of chronic illness will find this volume useful. The conditions it addresses, including type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and several others, are ones that tend to cut lives short.

The author contends that working flaxseed into the diet can markedly improve outcomes across a range of these conditions. The argument draws on thousands of peer-reviewed studies that test the clinical value of the seed, both whole and in its separate parts, and that explain the biological mechanisms behind those effects.

The book is an encyclopedic, detailed account concentrating on the three constituents responsible for most of the documented benefits: omega-3 fatty acids, the amino acid L-arginine, and cyanogenic glycosides. The last two both increase nitric oxide production by endothelial cells.

Readers who are new to omega-3 fatty acids and to these nitric oxide donors will find a substantial body of research they can apply to their own health. The book also directs readers to a large collection of journal articles offering practical guidance on consuming flaxseed and on its broader health effects.