How does flaxseed oil affect the blood — does it thin it or thicken it?
"Thick" blood from the point of view of medicine means its increased coagulability, that is, the presence of an excessive number of platelets. This is dangerous for the formation of blood clots, as well as cholesterol plaques (since in this case the concentration of cholesterol will be increased).
But in most cases, you can normalize blood density with a simple diet, or rather, by including some foods in your traditional diet. One of these products is linseed oil.
Research confirms that flaxseed oil improves blood composition and reduces the risk of developing many cardiovascular diseases. But does it really thin the blood and help fight its thickening? What other vegetable oils have a beneficial effect on the blood?
Content
Effect on blood composition
Flaxseed oil, like flax seed, consists of a combination of organic fatty acids, including:
- Omega-3;
- Omega-6;
- Omega-9.
All of them directly or indirectly affect lipid metabolism in the body, that is, they stimulate the breakdown of fats, which are responsible for blood density.
Also Linseed oil cleanses blood vessels , because it contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as vitamins F, A, E. These elements help quickly reduce the concentration of low-density cholesterol (by accelerating its cleavage by the liver), which also reduces blood viscosity.
Another feature of unsaturated fatty acids is that they help regulate the concentration of arachidonic acid (it decreases) in platelet cell membranes, which lowers their coagulability . As a result, the probability of blood clots is reduced to almost zero.
That is, flaxseed oil reduces blood density, and also indirectly regulates platelet clotting. This helps to improve the condition during rehabilitation after a heart attack or stroke.
Like linseed oil, Flax seeds also purify the blood from cholesterol.
4 More medicinal properties
According to doctors, the use of flax oil and seeds has the following positive effects on the cardiovascular and circulatory systems:
- Lowers blood pressure. Will be useful for hypertensive patients.
- Normalizes the hormonal background . It also affects lipid metabolism, the work of the gastrointestinal tract (which directly affects the biochemical composition of the blood).
- Improves the absorption of micronutrients by the brain. In particular, omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids stimulate the processing of glucose into energy by nerve cells.
- Normalizes the balance of shaped elements in the blood. These include leukocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes. It is their imbalance that most often leads to increased blood viscosity.
But with hypotension (low blood pressure), it is better to give it up.
How to take it correctly?
In its pure form, linseed oil is allowed to be taken only cold or at room temperature.
How much flaxseed oil should I consume? To provide the body with unsaturated fatty acids it is enough to eat only 5-10 grams daily
of such oil. It can be added to various kinds of vegetable salads, drunk in its pure form (but no more than 1 teaspoon at a time).
The base of linseed oil is unsaturated fatty acids. One of their features is that they can accumulate in the body and be used "on demand". Therefore, there are no restrictions on admission courses. Nutritionists recommend that they gradually replace the traditional sunflower oil.
Is it possible to take flaxseed extract during pregnancy? Yes, and then the dosage is increased up to 20 grams per day. This is necessary to replenish the supply of omega-3 – this organic acid is used in the process of forming the bone and nervous tissue of the unborn child (but it is necessary to use B-group vitamins as well – they normalize the hormonal balance).
5 other useful vegetable oils
Almost all vegetable oils contain antioxidants (including vitamin E), organic fatty acids – these components help reduce blood density and prevent thrombosis, varicose veins, strokes and heart attacks. The most beneficial oils for the cardiovascular system are:
- Olive . Although most of it is ordinary water, it has a high concentration of vitamins E, which help break down lipids and low–density cholesterol.
- Sea buckthorn. The composition is very similar to olive oil, but it has a higher content of phytoncides, essential oils, but there is practically no water. It helps to slightly reduce the density of blood plasma. But sea buckthorn helps to produce red blood cells.
- Corn. Contains a small amount of vitamin E. In any case, it is more useful than sunflower, although not so pleasant to the taste.
- Pumpkin. That's just it also acts irritatingly on the intestines, which can cause diarrhea, constipation, and microflora disorder. It is better to replace it with pumpkin seeds – they contain no less fatty acids, but there is no negative effect on the intestines.
- Soy. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce blood density. However, its taste seems disgusting to many, and sometimes even provokes bouts of nausea. It is not worth abusing it, so as not to get a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract.
In principle, sunflower oil also helps to reduce blood density, but only refined, without heat treatment. Accordingly, it should be used for making salads. But frying should be completely abandoned – it is much more useful to bake dishes (this also applies to meat dishes).
Interesting video
And now we invite you to familiarize yourself with the video:
Conclusion
In total, flaxseed oil really reduces the viscosity of the blood, since it contains organic fatty acids – they help reduce the concentration of lipids and cholesterol in the blood.
It's only worth considering that it can be "culinary" and "technical". The latter is toxic, used mainly for the treatment of wood from rot, moisture (as a pre–primer).
To get a positive effect, it is enough to consume only 10 grams of this oil daily (during pregnancy – 20 grams).
