Dr Grant Pierce, leader of the study and executive director of research at St Boniface Hospital, said: “This is the largest decrease in blood pressure ever shown by any dietary intervention-including the Mediterranean Diet and low sodium diets.
“We expect that this kind of improvement in people with hypertension could reduce their incidence of heart attack and stroke by 50%”
Subgroup analyses of only the PAD patients with hypertension showed a greater reduction in SBP, of about 15 mm Hg, in these patients than in the study population as a whole and a similar reduction in DBP, he noted.
The investigators chose to study flaxseed because animal studies have shown it has anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiarrhythmic effects and may reduce circulating cholesterol and trans-fatty acid levels. The flaxseed was provided by Glanbia Nutritionals.
The Flax Council of Canada predicts the study will not only help to increase demand in Canada where the Council has been working with regulators regarding a potential Health Claim for flax but will also expand the commodity’s reach in important export markets like India, Japan and China, where the incidence of cardiovascular disease is rising.
Source: Glanbia Nutritionals
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