Efficacy of flaxseed supplement on the lipid profile of hyperlipidemic subjects

Abstract

The present study entitled “Efficacy of flaxseed supplement on the lipid profile of hyperlipidemic subjects” was undertaken with an objective to assess the impact of flaxseed supplement on the blood lipid profile of hyperlipidemic subjects. The supplement was formulated with flaxseed as the basic ingredient along with rice and jaggery. Ten combinations of varying proportions were formulated and the best combination was selected based on overall acceptability, nutritional adequacy and cost. Out of the ten combinations C4 (with flaxseed: 25g, Rice: 10g, Jaggery: 5g) obtained the highest score for overall acceptability, nutritional adequacy and cost was selected for the conduct of feeding trial.

A list of hyperlipidemic respondents was collected from three hospitals of Thiruvanathapuram city (SK Hospital, PRS Hospital and Chelsa Hospital). From the list, one hundred respondents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria (such as subjects willingness and Co-operation, age (between 35 to 55yrs), Serum cholesterol level 200mg/dl and above, persons who are free from other degenerative diseases and who are not under medication for hyperlipidemia) were selected for the study. Details on their medical and health history, socio-economic background, dietary and lifestyle pattern were collected using standard procedures. The medical and health history of respondents revealed that 11 per cent had family history for Hyperlipidemia. Their BMI ranged from 25.0 - 30.0 and WHR from 0.8- 0.85. Most of the respondents (59 per cent) were overweight. The socio economic survey explained that monthly income ranged from Rs5000 to Rs10, 000. 65 per cent had some types of stress and strain. 87per cent of them had adequate family and social support.Diet counselling was imparted to the hundred respondents and their attitude towards foods and food supplements was tested using attitude test. Based on the scores obtained and also their willingness to participate in the study 45subjects were selected for the feeding trial. The study group was further divided into experimental and control group. The formulated flaxseed supplement (40g) was distributed to the experimental group in the form of laddus for three months. The blood lipid profile was estimated initially intermediately and finally for both the groups. The results revealed a significant difference in the blood lipid values of experimental group after flaxseed supplementation. The lipid values of the experimental group were compared with the values of the control group to test the significance of flaxseed supplementation using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed significant difference in the TC, HDL, LDL, and VLDL values between two groups at 5percent level of significance except for TG which was statistically insignificant. This study revealed that flaxseed supplementation can bring down the total cholesterol in hyperlipidemics and improve their lipid profile. Flaxseed can very well be recommended as a functional food for hyperlipidemics.