Flax Seed offers a whole array of potential positive effects but it is worth remembering that our food, and in more concentrated forms our supplements are chemicals and have a biological effect on our bodies – this is what we want of course. But for a few these biological effects could be unwanted – you could be someone who gets flax seed side effects.
What we are after is a balanced diet, so eating twice as much as recommended isn’t likely to provide twice the benefit. It is also important not to panic and run away from flaxseed through paranoia as you could be missing out on the benefits. Some people simply shouldn’t consume flax seed but others simply just need to limit the amount eaten or just consume flax seed oil or just flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed).
I have trawled the internet and nutritional books and this is what I have found out so far about flax seed side effects. It is NOT likely exhaustive but it will give you a good idea. I have broken it down into sections for ease, namely:
- Absolute no no unless you have received medical advice, and
- Use with caution and see your doctor if an effect is unpredicted.
So, let’s jump right in and discuss flax seed side effects.
- Absolute no no – unless received medical advice.
Pregnant, looking to become pregnant or are breastfeeding:
It isn’t necessarily that you cannot eat flax seed in all its different forms it is just that one cannot do any research on whether or not any problems can arise in pregnant humans – simply ask your Doctor if it is OK and what amount/dose to have. You also need to be careful of phytoestrogen levels (see below)
Hormonal Effects:
Flaxseed (not most flax oil forms) contain flax Lignans which contain phytoestrogens. High doses could have an effect on our natural hormone levels. If you have a history of estrogen-sensitive cancer, such as breast cancer or uterine cancer, talk with your doctor before consuming large amounts of flax seeds. Flax seed (not most forms of flax oil) should also be cautiously used by women with hormone sensitive conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids etc. Finally flaxseed may affect the functioning of hormone related drugs you could be taking via your doctor.
Constipation/bowel disease:
Flax (not the flax oil forms) have high levels of flax seed fibre which is good. However, if you have the tendency towards constipation, the general advice is to make sure you drink plenty of water as well or you could create a bowel blockage. For some too much flaxseed has a laxative effect and so could irritate some bowel conditions. Maybe if this is you, flaxseed oil could be a solution as it doesn’t contain fibre.
On medication/taking prescription drugs:
The fibre in flax seeds could reduce the absorption of some medications. Best to ask your Doctor for advice but it could just be you don’t eat flax seed around the time of taking your medication or use flax seed oil instead of ground flaxseed (as there is no fibre in the oil) so you can carry on obtaining all the healthy essential fatty acids. Some drugs however may simply just not work properly if consuming flax seed/flax seed oil.
Any heart or blood vessel disease or bleeding disorders:
Flax Seeds and Flax Seed Oil are high in the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid. One of the effects of this EFA is to thin the blood. This is not a problem to healthy individuals (as long as they don’t over dose the oils etc) but some people who have heart/blood vessel problems have to take medication like warfarin and asprin. The latter drugs are used because they thin the blood. So you can see that supplementing your diet with too much with flax seed (oil especially) will compound the thinning blood effect of the medication. Your doctor needs to advise you on levels to eat and probably check your blood a little more frequently for a while.
2. Flax seed side effects to be cautious of:
Diarrhea, excess gas, upset stomach can occur when using flax seed and flax seed oil. If this occurs it is most likely because someone is consuming too much and reducing the dose is sufficient to stop the symptoms. If this doesn’t help then you may have to stop taking it. Some people simply find taking oil in significant amounts causes digestive problems yet when they eat ground flax/flax seed meal, they are fine – it is possible that the slower release of the oils makes this form better tolerated.
Cyanide: There a few foods, flax seed being one of them, that contain cyanide compounds when raw. Our bodies can deal with some, it is possible heating can denature the compounds also. I haven’t managed to find any sources stating that people taking a normal reasonable amount of flaxseed in their diet have ever had any problems.
Conclusion:
Firstly don’t panic and as I said initially, don’t run away from flax because you are worried about flax seed side effects. We need to simply put all of this into perspective e.g. just because a runner who consumed too much water dies at the end of the race doesn’t mean drinking water is a great risk and therefore you should never drink water again!! – this would be crazy. Generally in my opinion, if we are sensible about amounts we consume and ask our doctor if we have any doubts, then the majority of us should comfortably and safely be able to integrate flax seed into our diet and be the healthier for it.
