What is Lignan Gold™?
Lignan
Gold™ is a 100% organic concentration of the flax hull lignans. The
hull or seed coat of flax is the area of the flax seed where lignans
are concentrated.
There
are many products that claim high lignan content however they are
either diluted (in flax oil), chemically extracted or the seed coat
is not efficiently removed.
Lignan
Gold flax hull lignans are mechanically separated with T1 technology
and come from both the brown and yellow flax seed. Lignans have shown
promise in balancing hormones and building the body’s immunity.
What are Flax Hull Lignans?
While most of the attention surrounding flax seed has been its source of essential fatty acids, recent studies and research have revealed that the substance called "lignan" within flaxseed may surpass flax oil in its health benefits.
Lignans are a group of phytonutrients (plant nutrients) which are found in seeds, grains and vegetables. Flax seed is, by far, nature's richest source of plant lignans.
Other sources of lignans such as rye, buckwheat, millet, soya, and barley, contain two to six micrograms of lignans per gram (mcg/g) of grain. Flax seed yields 800 mg/g with the highest concentration in the flax hull.
The embryo, meat or meal of the flax seed is high in the essential fatty acids as is the oil of the flax seed. The oil has little or no lignans. The lignan scientific name is referred to as secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG). This phytonutrient is classed as a polyphenol.
Flaxseed lignan was discovered in 1956. The first interest in biological activity of SDG arose in the early 1980s when investigators reported that the level of lignans in the body were lower in patients with breast cancer than in patients free of tumors. It was also noted that vegetarians had higher concentrations of lignan substances than non-vegetarians.
There are two general types of lignans: Those found in plants and those found in animals and humans or "mammalian lignans." When the plant lignan SDG (from flaxseed) is ingested, it is converted in the colon by bacteria to the mammalian lignans enterodiol (ED) and enterolactone (EL).
Many studies have shown the important health benefits that exist due to this conversion of flax lignan in the body.