Question: Hi,

I use your products and have been very satisfied. I do have a question though, my research on flax seed oil has lead me to believe that the oil (unlike fresh ground flax seed) does not contain the lignans. This is one reason why I buy it fresh and ground it myself. You advertise it as high lignans. Do you have any research to back this up?

Thanks for your time.

Terri

Answer: Terri,

Thank you for being a loyal customer and do appreciate getting questions and being able to clarify nutritional misconceptions that fill the internet. Please understand that this question is not meant to be an attack but the start of a fair and analytical conversation. That said, Do you have any research to back-up your statement? where did you get your data? Is it from a peer-reviewed journal or biochemist?

I’ve been doing this since 1995 and have been a doctor for 22 years. I have been confronted with hundreds of questions from well-intended people, based solely on hearsay (from a neighbor, health food store employee, readers digest…), and in some cases very angrily. I too hear a lot of conflicting data on many subjects. Before I ever buy into it, I will do my due diligence and seek-out the truth.

The statement that flax seed oil “products” do not contain lignans can be false or true depending on the processing. How much lignans contained in the oil is a matter of processing and filtration. There is standard, low to no lignan flax seed oil (100% pure oil, highly filtered) and there is high lignan flax seed oil (lightly or non-filtered). It’s the particulate matter that contains the lignans. It’s just like in olive oil and wine. There are those manufactures that filter their finished product and those that leave it unfiltered. It’s up to the customer to decide which they prefer.

Is this what you read?

I have noticed that there are two different kinds of flax oil, regular and high-lignan. What is the difference between the two? Which one would you recommend to purchase?

Flax oil, regardless if it is regular or high-lignan, contains only the oil portion from the seed. It does not contain protein, lignans, fiber, and any other substances from the seed. With that being said, consider these points:

1. In the entire flax industry, not one standardized methodology of plant lignan extraction and measurement testing has been settled upon. Therefore, you will never know if it is high-lignan or not. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

2. High-lignan flax oil is usually more expensive than regular flax oil. So, are you better off purchasing high-lignan flax oil? Since the lignan amounts cannot be verified, it has less omega-3 fats, and is more expensive, you would be better off consuming regular flax oil and adding ground flaxseed to your diet.

Dietitian Jane Reinhardt-Martin

I wish I knew where Jane was getting her data because any first year chemistry student will tell you that if you assay a specific substance you will be able to determine its chemical composition and purity.

This is taken from the assay report of our product:

Amounts of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated fats and lignans (per serving)

Linolenic Acid (Omega-3)……….55%
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6)…………..14%
Oleic Acid (Omega-9)………………19%
Other (Saturated)……………………..12% of which 1.5% is the lignans

Organic flax particulate matter (source of lignans)

Lignans……………………………….1.5%

Please let me know if you are satisfied with this response and if it adds clarity to the topic.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger BSc, DC

Reply:

Thanks for the information. I read in one of my books that I usually rely on but at the moment I can’t remember which one. I have to find it because I usually use my books to cross reference info. I have a strong interest in health and I do a lot of reading. Some things stick in my head and that was one of them. It was by no means a dig at your products. I happen to like CAOH company.

I truly appreciate your detailed response. I am use to pretty much not getting one when I request info from other companies.

Terri

“These are the 5 most common nutritional deficiencies I see in my Orange, chiropractic and integrative medicine practice: Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Omega 3 Fatty Acids (ALA, EPA, DHA). I feel that these deficiencies are not just representative of my local area but are a glimpse of what the world, in general, is experiencing. Below is a brief summary for each nutrient. My ranking of nutritional deficiencies are based on dietary analysis, clinical observation and blood tests.” Marcus Ettinger BSc., DC

1. Magnesium

Deficiency: 8 out of 10 clients show clinical signs of magnesium deficiency. The average American diet only contains 50% to 60% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). According to Dr. Guosong Liu, half the population of industrialized countries have a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging.

Symptoms: Anxiety, confusion, heart attack, hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), insomnia, nervousness, muscular irritability (twitches, spasms or cramps), restlessness, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), weakness, heart palpitations, depression….

Recommended Foods: All green leafy vegetables (ex. Swiss chard and spinach), Seeds (pumpkin or sunflower seeds), Beans (black or navy beans).

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Calm “magnesium caps” See: Magnesium and the Pathogenesis of disease (400 – 600 mg’s per day)

2. Zinc

Deficiency: 7 out of 10 clients show clinical signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Acne, ADD/ADHD, brittle nails, delayed sexual maturity, depression/apathy, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, growth impairment, hair loss, high cholesterol levels, immune impairment, impotence, irritability, lethargy, loss of appetite, loss of sense of taste, low stomach acid (HCl), male infertility/abnormal sperm, memory impairment, night blindness, paranoia, white spots on nails, poor wound healing, psoriasis….

Recommended Foods: Calf’s liver, beef, mushrooms, spinach, green peas and pumpkin seeds.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Zinc Glycinate (50 – 100mg’s per day).

3. Vitamin D

Deficiency: 10 out of 10 clients show deficiency (99.8% of all of my Labcorp, client blood tests have shown deficiency).

Symptoms: Allergies, auto immune diseases, burning sensation in mouth, cancer, diarrhea, insomnia, myopia, nervousness, osteoporosis, poor calcium utilization, rickets, scalp sweating, weight gain….

Recommended Foods: Cod liver oil, shrimp and eggs.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Power Vitamin D3 or Power D3 Softgels. Recommended dosage of Vitamin D3/Cholecalciferol is (6,000 – 10,000 IU’s per day for adults and 2,000 IU’s for children above the age of five. A base-line blood test should be done with a goal of achieving a blood level between 50 – 70 ng/mL ). Skin exposure to the sun, 15 minutes per day, is another great way to get adequate Vitamin D exposure. Note: living in southern California, I only take my Vitamin D during the months of October – the beginning of June. I surf a lot and as soon as my wetsuit comes off and I can get 15 minutes+ of direct sunlight, I no longer need the supplement form. In fact if if I kept taking it I would sunburn within 15 minutes. This is what your body does when the vitamin D level is sufficient.

4. Vitamin E

Deficiency: 3/10 Males and 2/10 Females show signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Neurological disturbances (gait disturbances, poor reflexes, loss of position sense, loss of vibration sense), shortened red blood cell life….

Recommended Foods: Green leafy vegetables (Mustard greens, chard, spinach and turnip greens), almonds and sunflower seeds.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Power E Complex – d-alpha Tocopherol w/mixed Tocohperols (400 – 800 IU’s per day)

5. Omega 3 Fatty Acids (ALA, EPA, DHA)

Deficiency: 8/10 show signs of deficiency.

Symptoms: Diarrhea, dry skin and hair, hair loss, acne, eczema, psoriasis, immune weakness, infertility, poor wound healing, premenstrual syndrome, gall stones, liver degeneration, ADD/ADHD and depression….

Recommended Foods: Wild-caught salmon (Important: avoid farm-raised salmon because of pollutants, artificial color and lack of EFA’s), flax seed and/or flax seed oil, walnuts and sardines.

Recommended Nutritional Supplements: Ultra Omega 3-6-9 (2 – 4 caps per day) or High Lignan Flax Seed Oil (3 – 6 caps per day)

ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2010) — A new study from Iowa State University’s Nutrition and Wellness Research Center (NWRC) may give men a way to combat high cholesterol without drugs — if they don’t mind sprinkling some flaxseed into their daily diet.

Suzanne Hendrich, an ISU professor in food science and human nutrition, led a study that examined the effects of flaxseed lignan in 90 people diagnosed with high cholesterol. The results showed that consuming at least 150 milligrams of flaxseed lignans per day (about three tablespoons) decreased cholesterol in men, but not women, by just under 10 percent over the three months that they were given the flaxseed.

While Hendrich admits that’s considerably less than the expected outcome from cholesterol-lowering drugs — approximately 10 to20 percent for three months, depending on the individual — it’s still enough to make flaxseed a more natural option for some men.

“Because there are people who can’t take something like Lipitor, this could at least give you some of that cholesterol-lowering benefit,” Hendrich said. “The other thing is, there are certainly some people who would prefer to not use a drug, but rather use foods to try to maintain their health. So this potentially would be something to consider.”

Americans suffer from high blood cholesterol

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 17 percent of Americans suffer from high blood cholesterol — a fat-like substance found in the body that can clog arteries and contribute to heart disease.

Hendrich developed the study with ISU master’s student Kai Ling Kong and doctoral graduates Zhong Ye, Xianai Wu, and Sun-Ok Lee to determine whether the main lignan in flaxseed, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, could lower cholesterol. They’ll be presenting results of the research at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2010, April 24-28, in Anaheim, Calif.

The study’s 90 subjects — which included twice as many men as women — all had high cholesterol, but no other underlying health conditions. The participants were divided into three groups and were randomly assigned to daily consume tablets that contained zero, 150, or 300 milligrams of flaxseed lignans for 12 weeks.

It’s the flaxseed lignans — a group of chemical compounds found in plants that are known for their protective health effects — that may help lower cholesterol, according to Hendrich. These compounds are converted to their bioactive forms by gut microbes. Hendrich reports that they made a healthy conversion in the subjects in this study, with no adverse health consequences.

No cholesterol-lowering effect in women

While the study found that the flaxseed lignans lowered cholesterol in men, it did not produce a significant change in women.

“We’re really puzzled about that because we were looking at post menopausal women and these lignans are known as plant estrogens, so they have a very weak but measurable estrogen effect,” Hendrich said. “So potentially, they would have a mild effect for substituting some estrogens in women. It’s really hard to know why [there was no effect in women] and whether these substances are counteracting, possibly, some testosterone in men, which of course women don’t have. It’s definitely something we’d like to investigate further.”

Hendrich reports the flaxseed lignan tablets used in this study are not currently available in the U.S. to her knowledge. In the absence of tablets, she says flaxseed can also be sprinkled on cereal, or added in a muffin mix or bread, although whole seeds are not very digestible. Ground flaxseed meal can also provide the desired cholesterol-lowering lignans, according to Hendrich, but it will oxidize over time and could potentially affect the flavor of the foods that it’s in. She points out that the oxidation of the product also would diminish the flaxseed’s omega-3 fatty acids, which can prevent heart attacks, so freshness is important in the product’s impact.

The ISU researcher hopes to publish the study in a professional journal. She also plans further investigation on whether flaxseed can be taken in combination with other known cholesterol-lowering substances, and whether it could prevent high cholesterol in the first place.

The $190,000 research study was jointly funded by the Archer Daniels Midland Company and Grow Iowa Values Fund.

Good Morning Dr. E,

I am just writing to let you know I am on top of the world. I had a fasting lipid panel taken and my triglycerides were 110…first time they have been within normal ranges for at least 30 years. The first time they were checked was when I was 18 years old and I was told they were high at that point and have been ever since, until you!!!  Thank you so very much for the information on lowering them.

I am continuing the use of the lecithin granules with the flax oil along with the low glycemic food list and was wondering what type of milk product to use if I eat an occasional bowl of all bran or some type of cereal like that.  Do you recommend rice milk, soy milk, or just fat free milk….?

Again, thank you so very much!!!  You do not know how happy I am!!!!

Sincerely,
Pam Jones

Pam,

I am so glad you had such great results with your lipid levels. I am not a fan of cereal or milk, but once every now and then isn’t going to kill anyone. If you have to have a bowl than just do it and don’t worry about the milk. Only every now and then!!!

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Question: Hi Dr E,

I’ve completed my first month on the program that you recommended for me and I am extremely happy with the results. My energy is vastly improved , my spirit is high and my skin seems so very clear. My morning shake is completely magic and I look forward to it each and every morning. This is the program:

Yogurt with blueberries and strawberries
cinnamon
flax seed oil & lecithin
Absolute Acai
Liquid Power
whey protein
1/2 cup cranberry juice & 1/2 cup organic apple juice

I also take an extra 1,000mg Power C and 200 IU vitamin E

To start my second month I’m thinking about adding the Ultra Supreme Greens and Goji Juice. If so, should I continue with the extra C and E or would the new additions be sufficient. (the greens from the Liquid Power seem to be a bit gassy to me so my thought is to take 1/2 the recommended serving of the Supreme Greens). Please give me your thoughts.

Thank you so very much for all you help.

Sincerely,

Steve

Response: Steve,

I am glad you are doing so well with the program.

As far as the greens and goji go, I would do the greens and berries. ½ tblsp greens and ¼ cup berries. A little extra C and E will add a more protective quantity of antioxidants, a good thing. If gas persists you may want to try adding digestive enzymes to help break down the fiber.

Let me know how this work out.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Question Dr. E

I have been using your products for the last 6 mo. and have been very happy with them.
I currently take 1 scoop of your protein powder, 1 oz of Acai and 1 oz of goji in a soy/rice milk shake every morning. I’m always looking to try and experiment with new things.

I’m going to be placing another order and would appreciate your product recommendations. I’m 45, very fit, active and plan on staying that way,…LOL

I’m currently interested in:

• L-Tryptophan

• Whey Protein Powder

• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji

• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder

• Liquid Power

1. Would all of the above be recommended or would the benefits of some be found in the others and then they would overlap eliminating the need for all of them?

2. Would you have any other recommendations?

3. How would you recommend taking the supplements?

Thank you in advance for your response.

Tom

Answer Tom,

I am almost 44 and have the same goals. This is what I do in the morning. It’s a little extreme but I want to live to 100, go to bed with a smile on my face and just not wake-up the next day, never having to see any doctor and not on medications. You can also check out my practice website here
www.advancedhealing.com

From caoh.com* I take daily:

• 1 scoop whey protein*

• 2 scoops Absolute Acai*

• 1 ounce Liquid Power*

• 1 tblsp liquid flax seed oil

• 1 tblsp wheat germ oil

• 1 tsp molecularly distilled fish oil

• 1 heaping tblsp Ultra Supreme Greens*

• Frozen strawberries and blueberries

And if I need a little immune boost I will add 1 ounce of TheraAloe*.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Reply Dr. E,

Thank you for your reply.

I have a couple more questions:

1. How do you feel about L-Tryptophan? What kind of people would you recommend this for? I know way back they took it off the market due to some unfortunate incidents.

2. ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder? Why choose one over the other?

3. Taking the list below, how beneficial would adding supreme greens be?

• Whey Protein Powder

• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji

• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder

• Liquid Power

• 10 oz soy milk

• 4 oz rice milk

• 1tbl flaxseed oil

Tom,

1. How do you feel about L-Tryptophan? What kind of people would you recommend this for? I know way back they took it off the market due to some unfortunate incidents. It was as still is totally safe. FDA made a big mistake now it’s fixed. 3 before bed is the recommended dose and can be taken by most adults.

2. ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder? Why choose one over the other? Absolute Acai, because it’s pure 100% acai goodness.

3. Taking the list below, how beneficial would adding supreme greens be? Very beneficial.

• Whey Protein Powder
• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji
• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder
• Liquid Power
• 10 oz soy milk – Would use water, too many sugar calories and not much nutritional benefit.
• 4 oz rice milk – Would use water, too many sugar calories and not much nutritional benefit.
• 1tbl flaxseed oil

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger Dc, BSc

Question: Hello,