What are Lignans?

A Lignan is a phytoestrogen (plant estrogen) found in the hulls of flax seed, sesame seeds and other plant sources. This phytonutrient is classed as a polyphenol. They can also be found in rye, barley, seeds, and fresh fruits and vegetables, but flax seed has the highest concentration of lignans found in any natural food source. The main lignan in Flax seed is SDG. When eaten, SDG is converted in the body to enterolactone and enterodial. These two mammalian lignans are linked to better health in both men and women.

Why just the hulls? It takes 20 lbs of flax seed to get just 1 lb of flax seed hulls (lignans). Lignans for Life provides you a concentrated form of flax hull lignans that allows you to get the recommended amount of lignans without eating several pounds of flax seed. See all Flaxseed Lignan options here

How Sesame Seed Lignans Work

Sesamin can help stimulate the peroxisome proliferator-activator receptor alpha (PPARalpha). This nuclear receptor protein group is important for metabolism, as well as cellular development. This receptor is in the liver, heart, kidneys and muscle tissue. It enables fat oxidation and lipogenesis. Sesamin has become very popular due to its fat burning properties and ability to block the storage of fat without the use of any stimulants. Read more about Sesamin here.

How Flaxseed Lignans Work

Plant lignans like Secoisolariciresinal Diglucoside (SDG) are converted in the intestines to the mammalian lignans enterodial and enterolactone. The mammalian lignans bind to estrogen receptors, preventing naturally occurring- and sometimes radical- hormones from binding to the estrogen receptors and exerting their negative effects.

In a normally functioning body, hormones bind to estrogen receptors in men, women and animals. Estrogen receptors are located in numerous body parts, including the brain, heart, bones, and breast tissue, as well as reproductive organs like ovaries and the prostate.

Hormones can negatively effect the ovaries, breast tissue, uterus and prostate glands. Lignans bind to estrogen receptors in those organs and exert their positive effects. Flax seed lignans also have an antioxidant aspect that reduces free radicals.* See all Flaxseed Lignan options here

Types of Lignans

There are 5 main types of plant lignans and two main types of mammalian lignans. The plant lignans are: pinoresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol (SDG), Sesamin and matairesinol. The mammalian lignans are enterolactone and enterodiol. Normally occurring intestinal bacteria converts the plant lignans into mammalian lignans. Secoisolariciresinol glucoside (SDG) is the main lignan found in flaxseed hulls. Flaxseed has the highest concentration of lignans out of any food source on the planet. One ounce of flaxseed has 85 mg of lignans. The second most lignan-rich food is sesame seeds. By comparison, there are 11 mg of lignans per ounce of sesame seeds. Lignans are also available in fresh fruits and vegetables, but it takes 1 whole cup of chopped broccoli to get just 2 mg of lignans. Flaxseed hulls are the best choice for lignan content.

Flaxseed Lignan Benefits

Flaxseed Lignan Research has shown that people with high amounts of lignans in their bodies have better breast health and better health in reproductive organs such as the prostate, uterus and ovaries, where hormones play a contributing factor. Lignans have been linked to post-menopausal benefits in women and better prostate and hair health in men. Lignans provide Antioxidant protection too.* Sesamin is the lignan that comes from sesame seeds and there is research that shows that sesamin may help burn more fat and help prevent the body from storing fat by stimulating the PPARalpha protein group.

Flaxseed Capsules

Lignans for Life utilizes a revolutionary process to extract the hulls of the flax seed from the meat of the flaxseed (the embryo) without using any chemicals. Our flaxseed extract makes it possible for you to have a flaxseed supplement instead of ingesting large quantities of bulk flaxseed. Flax oil does not naturally contain any lignans. Flax oil products that claim "high lignan content" contain 2% concentration levels of lignan at best. Lignans for Life offers the highest concentration of lignans in any supplement available. Each capsule contains 35mg of SDG lignans.** Our suggested serving of Lignans for Life consists of 3 easy to swallow flaxseed capsules. Each serving contains 690 mg of full spectrum lignans and 105 mg of all natural chemical free SDG lignans.

More Lignan Data

When the plant flax seed lignans are ingested, they are converted by naturally occurring bacteria in the colon into 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.

Lignans are well known phytoestrogens - active substances derived from plants that have a weak estrogen-like action - that have been linked to breast health, as well as benefits for peri and post-menopausal women.  More Lignan studies

Dr. OZ recommends flaxseed lignans on his website. As stated on his site, www.doctoroz.com, Flax contains lignans. The lignans alter the way your body metabolizes estrogens into safer forms.

Products Development, LLC is our company name and Lignans For Life is our brand name, Registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Click here for our Contact Info Click here to see all of our our products.

** The lignan content of our flaxseed lignans can vary from 3-5% depending on growing conditions.