FLAXSEED: A TREASURE TROVE OF POTENTIAL BIOACTIVES FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND HEALTH PROMOTION

Abstract: Bioactives from natural sources are increasingly gaining importance due to their uses in human food and animal feeds. The plant world represents a largely untapped reserve of bioactive ingredients, and considerable potential exists for exploitation of these bioactives as functional food ingredients and nutraceuticals. Substances such as polyphenols, lignans, ?-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, minerals and peptides provide a myriad of health benefits. Flaxseed (FS) is the richest sources of bioactives such as a-linolenic acid, dietary fibre, protein and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), due to which it is recently gaining much attention, because they act multifariously as anti-diabetic, anticancer, anti-tumor antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti inflammatory agents; reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and other degenerative diseases. This review focuses on the therapeutic potential and applications of FS bioactives viz. a-linolenic acid, SDG, dietary fibre and some poyphenolics against a number of human diseases and it can be recommended for consumers.

Keywords: Flaxseed, Bioactives, Omega fatty acids, Lignans, Nutraceuticals, Chronic diseases.