Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent.
Flax is an erect annual plant growing to 1.2 m tall, with slender stems.
Flax is grown both for its seeds and for its fibers. Various parts of the plant have been used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, hair gels, soap, etc.
Flaxseeds are rich in alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fat that is a precursor to the form of omega-3 found in fatty fish, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Since the fats are found in their isolated form in flax seed oil, it is a more concentrated source of ALA than the seeds themselves (although it doesn't have the other nutrients that the seeds do).
ALA, in addition to providing several beneficial effects of its own, can be converted in the body to EPA, thus providing EPA's beneficial effects.
For this conversion to readily take place, however, depends on the presence and activity of an enzyme called delta-6-destaurase, which, in some individuals, is less available or less active than in others. In addition, delta-6-desaturase function is inhibited in diabetes and by the consumption of saturated fat and alcohol. For these reasons, higher amounts of ALA-rich flaxseeds or its oil must be consumed to provide the same benefits as the omega-3 fats found in fatty fish.
Research indicates that for those who are vegetarian, or do not eat fish or wish to take fish oil supplements, faxseed and flaxseed oil do provide a good alternative to dosage of omega-3.
For more details, refer to :
The World's Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating
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