Flaxseed May Reduce Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients

In a Hypertension trial of 110 patients who ingested 30 g of milled flaxseed or placebo daily over 6 months, plasma levels of the ω-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid and enterolignans increased 2- to 50-fold in the flaxseed-fed group but did not increase in the placebo group. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was about 10 mm Hg lower and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was about 7 mm Hg lower in the flaxseed group compared with placebo. Flaxseed reduced SBP by 15 mm Hg and reduced DBP by 7 mm Hg in patients with SBP of 140 mm Hg or higher.