Md Sadique Hussain ,Gurleen Kaur ,Chandan Mohapatra

1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,Jaipur National University,Jaipur-Agra Bypass,Jagatpura,Jaipur,Rajasthan,India.2School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,Lovely Professional University,Phagwara,Punjab,India.

Abstract Diet and nourishment are the foundation of living wellbeing and development.With advancements in clinical nutrition and increasingly growing awareness of nutritional principles of eatables,nutraceuticals have emerged as an important part of the healthcare system.India offers a variety of natural plant medicines that have high promise and pharmacological activity.Linum usitatissimum linn is an annual plant used for the treatment of many illnesses in numerous traditional medicines.Flaxseed is an upright,thin,and fibrous cold,temperate plant.The seed is reported to have cardiovascular,antidiabetic,antibacterial,antioxidant,estrogenic effects,etc.It has the highest source of Alpha‑linolenic acid (ALA),dietary fiber,omega‑3 fatty acid,lignan mostly Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG),protein,and soluble mucilage,all of which have benefits for the overall management in the health sector.Flaxseed is a major part of various regimens of Ayurveda.This mini‑review outlines the nutritional composition of flaxseed.

Keywords:nutraceuticals;flaxseed;antidiabetic;ALA;fiber;Omega 3

Introduction

The living standards in terms of income,costs,and the way of life have improved with economic growth.Nutritional fixation was the very first goal of this shift in way of living.There’s been a booming market for processed eatables which has led to several dietary diseases.When it is advised to "eat the vegetables because they are good for us"and it is still pretty common to say,an apple a day keeps the doctor away.A lot of research has supported and delivered the scientific evidence for each of these widespread phrases to prove that such types of food make a real difference.In the early 1990s,scientists investigated hundreds of epidemiological researches linked to cancer and diet,and in 128 of 156 dietary experiments,fruit and vegetables had a major defense impact against a wide range of distinct cancers[1].Over the past 20 years,roughly one‑third of the approved drugs by the FDA are formed on nature‑derived products or their derivatives,also the pharmaceutical industry has benefitted enormously from the significant medicinal value of these nature‑derived products [2].Herbal therapies are getting more prevalent nowadays since the unwanted effects are less and herbal plants are readily available[3].Linum usitatissimum Linn.(Flax),powerful and versatile,floral plant of the Linaceae family.The plant is usually referred to as linseed or flaxseed.It's a cold‑temperate plant utilized both for nutraceutical and for illness in ancient times.Table 1 represents the scientific classification of the plant.Due to its medicinal qualities,flaxseed is utilized in ayurvedic medicines for decades.It is utilized in bread and baking items because of its nutty taste.Flaxseed helps with heart,cancer,arthritis,wounds,abscesses,diabetes,and digestive issues.Modern study has found that flax has antioxidant activity and can be useful for cardiovascular health clinically [4,5].

Table 1 Taxonomy of Linum usitatissimum

Table 2 Conventional and therapeutic uses of flaxseeds in various illnesses[18]

Flax is an important economic oleaginous crop,especially for Canada,with approximately 40% of the world's flax‑seed production and being the world's largest flax‑seed exporting farm,accounting for about 75 % of global trade in flax [6].The seeds of flax are oval and smooth,with a pointing end of approximately 2.5 x 5 x 1 mm.The external shell is hard,fibrous,and low in protein [7].Flax seeds have 35% oil of their weight,15‑18% is linoleic acid,and 55% of which is α‑linolenic acid (ω‑3 fatty acid).Flax seeds are high in ω‑3 fatty acids and are a rich source of lignans from the plant.The latest evidence of antioxidant activity was found in one of the lignans secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) of flaxseed [8].Lignan has been used to prevent various forms of tumor (breast tumor,colon cancer,prostate and skin malignancy) and diabetes as well [9].Two specific variants of flax‑seeds are available:golden or yellow and brown.Both have identical nutritional properties and the same number of ω‑3 fatty acids in the short‑chain.The exception is yellow flax called solin,with a unique oil characteristic and also low omega‑3 fatty acid.The fatty acid is called solin.As a food source offering several health benefits for decreasing malignancy and CVD,LDL‑cholesterol decrease,and vasodilating functions,flax‑seed is ingested as entire/milled/roasted seed in the form of oil,and also as flour [10].In food items like canned fish sauce,emulsion for meat,and ice cream,flax‑seed‑protein products containing various quantities of polysaccharide gums were evaluated as additives [11].In flax seeds,the protein content was recorded between 10.5 and 31 percent.Whereas,the protein content of Khategaon cultivars grown in India is 21.9% [12].Genetics and environmental variations can be responsible for variations in the content of protein.The high and low protein content of seeds can also be the result of the cool climate.Flax‑seed has two main storage proteins,a primarily high molecular salt soluble fraction (11‑12S;globulin;18.6% Nitrogen) and a low molecular weight water‑soluble basic component (1.6‑ 2S;Albumin;17.7% Nitrogen) [13].Flax‑seed proteins can also be used in food products such as bakery and pastry,(bread,pizza,cookies,and muffins),snacks and breakfasts,sausage,gravy/soups,an emulsion of meat,whipped dessert,etc[14].With the use of two key components,namely eicosanoids,and cytokines,flax seed favorably impacts immunity.Flaxseed’s lignan modulates the immune response and can contribute to the clinical management of autoimmune diseases.People should take a meal that contains a certain amount of essential fatty acids ω‑3 and ω‑6.The consumption of corn vegetable oils,sunflowers seed,safflowers seed,soybeans,and cottonseeds has increased considerably over the past 100 to 150 years,while the intake of omega‑6 fatty acids has increased significantly[15].Figure 1 represents the nutritional composition of four different forms of flaxseed (per 100g) ALA,α‑linolenic acid;CHO,carbohydrates (including sugars,starches,and total dietary fiber)[16].

Figure 1 The nutritional composition of four different forms of flaxseed (per 100g) ALA,α-linolenic acid;CHO,carbohydrates (including sugars,starches,and total dietary fiber)

Therapeutic Uses

Below,few of the therapeutic benefits of flaxseed are listed [17]:

a.Flaxseeds contains many qualities that acts as anti‑cancer along with it also acts as lubricant and lowers the risk constipation and an extraordinary source with fiber.It also helps in alleviating the symptoms of diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels.

b.In one research,school children who took not more than a teaspoon of flax oil per day had rarer and milder illnesses in respiratory track than school children who did not take flax oil.Thus,it also helps in immunity improvement.

c.Flax is good for your heart and circulatory system.Omega‑3 fatty acids at ultra‑high concentrations reduce LDL (bad)cholesterol levels.Essential fatty acids can also be found in fish oils and algae.

d.Flax contains lipids that are forerunners to mind development.This is exclusively critical throughout different stages of life when an infant’s brain develops the fastest,such as through pregnancy and early childhood.During pregnancy and nursing,a wise mother should consider adding a spoonful of flax oil to her regular diet.

e.Flax is good for your skin.Flax oil has been utilized as a dietary supplement in my patients with dry skin,skin that is particularly sun‑sensitive or eczema.

f.Flax fat has slimming properties.Essential fatty acids‑rich lipids,such as flax,boost the body's metabolic rate,assisting in the burning of extra,harmful fats.When you eat the proper sort of fat,your body has a higher chance of storing the proper quantity of fat.This is known as thermogenesis,a process in which essential fatty acids,particularly gamma‑linolenic acid,trigger specialized fat cells throughout the body (known as brown fat) to kick into high gear and burn additional fat.

Conclusion

Flaxseed in India is predominantly grown in Bihar,Chhattisgarh,Madhya Pradesh,and Maharashtra.It is worth mentioning that flaxseed was a major food crop native to India.Flaxseed is still used in India as a portion of food and medical product.Flaxseed is a nutritious and useful component of foodstuffs.

The current review has revealed that flaxseed and its oil have a nutraceutical value and health advantages.Today,a large part of the globe is affected by cardiovascular illnesses,diabetes,hypertension,neurological conditions,which means that individuals need to be cured through natural management.Flaxseed is one of the new foodstuffs that can cure these conditions.The greatest source of omega‑3 fatty acid for non‑fish cattle is flaxseed.