Flaxseed?

[catsRus]

Some herbs may be useful in helping some diabetics achieve more normal blood sugar levels.  Bitter melon, Korean ginseng, holy basil, gurmar are among a few.  A consultation with an established credible herbal specialist would give guidance and information about these herbs.

High-fiber diets are recommended for diabetics to slow the absorption of glucose in the intestines.  A daily dose of two tablespoons flaxseed meal powder mixed in water provides a rich food source of lignin and has protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and trace elements, which are all beneficial.  Fenugreek powder contains protein, saponin and the phytochemical coumarin, fenugreekine, nicotinic acid, phytic acid, scopoletin and trigonelline, all of which are suggested to lower blood sugar.  Doses higher than 10 g per day can cause flatulence.  Standardized fenugreek fiber products are available that are said to be as effective.   Nopal, also known as prickly pear cactus, is rich in pectin and may have an effect that is more than inhibition of glucose absorption.   To use nopal, purchase fresh or canned cactuses and eat at least one cup cooked or raw daily.  Dried nopal has not been shown conclusively to be effective, but encapsulated products may be available soon.

Some researchers suggest Diabetes Type II is almost entirely caused by poor nutrition and can be prevented or reversed with proper nutrition. A diet rich in lean protein, vegetables, fruits and moderate amounts of fat, especially polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, including fish, nuts and cold-pressed unrefined oils such as flaxseed, olive and sesame as recommended sources of fat is a good start toward proper nutrition.  Carbohydrates should not be prominent in the diet, and sugars, any form of wheat but especially white flour, other refined grains, fried foods, junk foods, and processed foods, need to be minimized.  

About 2,400 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said to all his patients and the doctors of Greece, “Let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food.”  Modern science has proven this to be an age old wise statement.   Over 9,000 scientific studies have revealed food really is the best medicine, including spices and herbs.  The same studies indicate Nature’s most potent healing foods are more powerful than vitamins. Any form of supplementation is secondary best to eating foods rich in the same vitamins.  Foods are absorbed by the human bloodstream better than supplemental vitamins and have a greater effect in accomplishing its mission to aid the body.  Although most convenient are vitamins from a bottle, the ideal, safest, and most economical solutions can be found at the nearest farmer’s market or health food store.

If you have chronic HCV, or any liver disease, consult your doctor about your potential risk for Diabetes.  If you have liver damage from the HCV infection, your doctor may want test you for Diabetes.  Your doctor may also want to vaccinate you against both HBV and Hepatitis A Virus, HAV, to reduce the possibility of added stress to your liver.  Be sure to tell your doctor about any medications you take, including over-the-counter, supplemental vitamins, and herbal treatments.  Avoiding alcohol consumption, maintaining a good, well-balanced diet and healthy weight are a few important rules to follow.

[catsRus]

Fatty Acid Intake

Increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been associated with decreased platelet aggregation and improvement in serum lipid profiles. It has been theorized that a diet high in such fatty acids may inhibit lipid peroxidation of cell membranes. Lipid peroxidation with production of reactive oxygen species has been implicated in a number of experimental models of liver injury. Though this line of evidence is incomplete to suggest supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids in patients with chronic hepatitis, it should be studied further.

[catsRus]

Oil but Don't Grease Your Body
Avoid the fats that present a high workload for the liver and gall bladder. These are full-cream dairy products, margarines, processed vegetable oils (hydrogenated fats), deep fried foods, foods that are not fresh and contain rancid fats, preserved meats, animal skins and fatty meats. In those with a dysfunctional liver, I recommend avoiding all animal milks and substituting them with oat, rice, almond or soymilks.

Eat the "good fats" which contain essential fatty acids in their natural unprocessed form.

These are found in cold pressed vegetable and seed oils, avocados, fish (especially oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, sablefish, flounder, trout, bass and mackerel), shrimp, prawns and crayfish, raw fresh nuts, raw fresh seeds such as flaxseeds (linseeds), sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, alfalfa seeds, pumpkin seeds and legumes (beans, peas and lentils). Seeds such as flaxseeds can be ground freshly everyday (in a regular coffee grinder or food processor) and can be added to cereals, smoothies, fruit salads and vegetables. Spirulina, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, borage oil and lecithin also contain healthy oils to help the liver. Do not use butter and/or margarine on your breads and crackers. Replace them with tahini, humus, pesto, tomato paste or relish, freshly minced garlic and cold pressed oil (chilli or other natural spices can be added if enjoyed), nut-spreads, fresh avocado, cold pressed olive oil or honey. The good fats are essential to build healthy cell membranes around the liver cells. As we get older we need to "oil" our bodies and not "grease" our bodies.

[catsRus]

Links to good PDF files which are a pain to copy!

http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/flaxnutT.htm

This is one of the articles!

Flax Seed and Immune System
Flaxseed contains two components that favourably affect the immune system: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid, and lignans, a type of phytoestrogen. These components affect immune cells and mediators of the immune response such as eicosanoids and cytokines. ALA, for example, suppresses the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes and the delayed hypersensitivity response to certain antigens.1 Recent research suggests that ALA and lignans in flaxseed modulate the immune response and may play a beneficial role in the clinical management of autoimmune diseases.2, 3
Flaxseed Effects on the Immune System
The ALA component of flaxseed influences immunity -- the body's ability to defend itself successfully against foreign substances -- through its effects on membrane phospholipids and the production of eicosanoids and cytokines. Lignans influence certain mediators of the immune response.

ALA and other omega-3 fatty acids influence the immune response by altering the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids, which in turn significantly affects eicosanoid production. ALA in flaxseed increases phospholipid ALA, EPA and DHA levels in mononuclear cells,4 neutrophils,5 lipoproteins,5, 6 and platelets7. This change in membrane phospholipid content results in reduced biosynthesis of arachidonic acid from linoleic acid and decreased production of the proinflammatory eicosanoids, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2),9 shown in the Figure. Increasing the ALA and omega-3 fatty acid content of membrane phospholipids enhances the biosynthesis of prostaglandin I3 (PGI3) and other eicosanoids of the 3- and 5-series that are less inflammatory.10

Eicosanoids are a group of biologically active compounds derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonic acid.9 In rats, mice and cynomolgus monkeys, ALA suppresses tissue levels of arachidonic acid and the biosynthesis of eicosanoids, but not to the same extent as EPA and DHA.8, 11, 12 In humans, prostaglandin biosynthesis is also influenced by ALA intake. In one study, six healthy women consumed isocaloric formula diets providing a constant amount of linoleic acid and different amounts of ALA (0%, 4% and 8% of total energy); each formula diet was consumed for two weeks. Total prostaglandin biosynthesis decreased nearly 50% at the highest ALA intake level.13 In a study of a single male subject, the urinary excretion of metabolites of TXA2 and PGI2 decreased 34% during the seven week period in which the subject consumed a mix of flaxseed and canola oils.14 In another study, PGE2 and thromboxane B2 production was inhibited significantly when subjects (28 healthy men) consumed a flaxseed oil-based diet for eight weeks.4

Cytokines are soluble proteins liberated from immune cells in response to injury, infection or exposure to foreign substances.15 Two cytokines that contribute to inflammation are tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1). Both are present in rheumatoid joints and contribute to the tissue pathology of rheumatoid arthritis;16 and they stimulate the release of platelet-activating factor, a potent mediator of inflammation.
The production of TNF and IL-2 by macrophages is influenced by dietary ALA and the ALA to linoleic acid ratio.17 Consumption of a flaxseed-oil based diet for eight weeks, for example, resulted in an inhibition of TNF and IL-1 34 production of about 77-81% in a study of 28 healthy men.4 Several studies have demonstrated significant reductions in TNF and IL-1 levels in humans consuming omega-3 fatty acids.18

Flaxseed may prove useful in the nutritional management of patients with autoimmune diseases. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory disease that occurs mainly in young women. It is characterized by a variety of clinical findings, including inflammation of the kidney (nephritis). Studies show that patients with SLE exhibit increased production of platelet-activating factor (PAF), a mediator of immune response and promoter of platelet aggregation.19
Dietary flaxseed has provided significant benefits in animal models of lupus nephritis and in patients with this condition.3 In one study of nine patients with lupus nephritis, PAF-induced platelet aggregation was inhibited and renal function improved when subjects consumed 15 to 45 g flaxseed/day for four weeks.20 The lignan component of flaxseed is believed to be responsible for this effect.21

Flaxseed favourably influences immune response. The flaxseed component, ALA, alters membrane phospholipids, inhibits arachidonic acid biosynthesis from linoleic acid, inhibits the production of proinflammatory eicosanoids from arachidonic acid, and suppresses lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production.22, 23 Flaxseed lignans are potent inhibitors of platelet-activating factor, a mediator of inflammation.3 Through these effects, flaxseed has the potential to be used for the treatment of disorders characterized in part by activated lymphocytes and a hyper-stimulated immune response. Such disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus.3, 24

References
1. Kelley DS, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;53:40-46.
2. Blackburn GL. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1992;200:183-188.
3. Parbtani A and Clark WF. In: Flaxseed in Human Nutrition. Cunnane SC and Thompson LU, eds. Champaign, IL: AOCS Press, 1995, pp. 244-260.
4. Caughey GE, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;63:116-122.
5. Mantzioris E, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;59:1304-1309.
6. Cunnane SC, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;61:62-68.
7. Ferrier LK, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995;62:81-86.
8. Whelan J, et al. Lipids. 1991;26:119-126.
9. Wallace JL and Chin BC. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1997;214:192-203.
10. Calder PC, et al. Immunology. 1992;75:108-115.
11. Hwang D. FASEB J. 1989;3:2052-2061.
12. Wu D, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;63:273-280.
13. Adam O, et al. J Lipid Res. 1986;27:421-426.
14. Ferretti A and Flanagan VP. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1996;54:451-455.
15. Abbas AK, et al. Cellular and Molecular Immunology. Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company, 1994, pp. 9-10, 240-260.
16. Arend WP and Dayer J-M. Arthritis Rheum. 1990;33:305-315.
17. Watanabe S, et al. Life Sci. 1991;48:2013-2020.
18. Endres S. Lipids. 1996;31(Suppl):S239-S242.
19. Tetta C, et al. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1990;91:244-256.
20. Clark WF, et al. Kidney Int. 1995;48:475-480.
21. Ingram AJ, et al. Am J Kidney Dis. 1995;25:320-329.
22. Leaf A and Weber PC. N Engl J Med. 1988;318:549-557.
23. Nair SSD, et al. J Nutr. 1997;127:383-393.
24. Blok WL, et al. J Nutr. 1996;126:1515-1533.

[catsRus]

Just the Flax, Please
Part I
By Kelly Williams, R.D., L.D.
Just leave it to me to overwhelm you with information on yet another dietary supplement that might have benefits for people living with HIV. But wouldn't it be great if there were a legitimate supplement that has been shown to decrease your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, lower your cholesterol, stimulate the immune system, help prevent some cancers, and reduce the occurrence of HIV-related diarrhea? Well, there is, and it's not another pill to add to your regimen; it is a food that can be safely and easily incorporated into your daily diet.

Flaxseed, or linseed, is a shiny, reddish-brown seed about the size of a sesame seed that is rich is protein, fat, and dietary fiber. In addition, it includes phytochemicals such as phenolic acids and lignans, as well as small amounts of vitamins and minerals. It is important to note that the fats found in flaxseed are not the same types of bad fat commonly associated with increased risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. These are a group of unsaturated fats (good fats) called essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are so named because the body cannot make them from any other substance. You must get them in your diet. Two EFAs you may have heard about in the media lately are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.




Flaxseed and Cardiovascular Disease
One of the most popular reasons people are adding flaxseed to their diets is to lower blood cholesterol levels. This is particularly important for people living with HIV who are taking protease inhibitors (PI's) or experiencing central fat accumulation associated with lipodystrophy syndrome. These conditions can greatly increase the risk of elevated blood cholesterol and, therefore, heart disease.

The good news is that recent clinical studies have shown that people who ingest flaxseed daily show significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL (the bad cholesterol), and even triglycerides. It has been suggested that some people may see improvement simply from the addition of flaxseed alone even if their diet remains the same otherwise! This is partially attributable to the high levels of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in high concentrations in flaxseed. ALA has also been shown to have beneficial effects in protecting against coronary heart disease and stroke, prevention of fatal arrhythmias, and prevention of hypertension (high blood pressure).




Flaxseed and Immune Function
Although the relationship between flaxseed and the immune system is not fully understood, several observations have been made that show promise for flaxseed as an immune regulator. First, ALA alters the composition of membrane phospholipids, which influence the production of eicosanoids and cytokines. It inhibits the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1), two cytokines that contribute to inflammation associated with autoimmune disorders. Thus, it is thought that flaxseed may play a beneficial role in management of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As of yet, there is no research on how flaxseed might affect HIV specifically.




Other Benefits of Flaxseed
The presence of ALA and lignans (a type of fiber found in flaxseed) may also reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Research suggests that it might be the most beneficial in preventing hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, endometrium, and prostate. Flaxseed also contains soluble and insoluble fibers that can prevent diarrhea and constipation (good news for those on HAART), help regulate blood sugars, lower cholesterol, and aid in the prevention of colon cancer.

[Dude]

Very informative posts, brother Dan. Thanks.

Oh, one of them mentioned hemp seeds and how they're good for us. Thanks, I'll start saving them and add them to my smoothies!

[Jackie]

Thanks Dan for all your research! Very interesting reading indeed! I never would have thought to be checked for diabetes. But I will have that done!


I bought the flaxseed but have not taken yet. It reminds me of small bird feed ( ). I am supposed to let Dr know what I am planning on taking so I will confer with her.

Thanks again!
Jackie

[Too_Tall]

And...
I add the flaxseed to my morning yogurt!
Nummy  

[Too_Tall]

Geow?
Ever tried soy milk?

[geow]

Yes I have tried soy milk. It is really watery. I used to live where fields of soy beans were grown, so I support the use of soy. I just got freaked after reading that article and then the article says "no Dairy products."
 Since this is the "Alternative  Treatment Forum" though, I should realize that I am on the tx treatment, and things are different for me.        

[Too_Tall]

I was just curious Geow...
And yes... Things are different for you due to the tx...
Take Care!
TT