Flaxseed vs Flaxseed Oil
Short answer: Overall, Flaxseed gets more positive reports (59% vs 30%).
Flaxseed has 62 meta-analyses and 217 randomized trials on PubMed; Flaxseed Oil has 18 and 95.
Based on 19 reports about Flaxseed and 36 about Flaxseed Oil. Not medical advice.
| Flaxseed Supplement | Flaxseed Oil Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 59%helped5 reports · few reports | 30%helped10 reports · few reports |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mostly negative |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 62 / 217 | 18 / 95 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Common side effects | None reported | None reported |
| Typical dose reported | 1-2 tbsp / daily | 1 tbsp / daily |
Safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm, and coconut oil as well beef fat were more effective in reducing LDL-C (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/l) as compared with butter. Despite limitations in these data, our NMA findings are in line with existing evidence on the metabolic effects of fat and support current recommendations to replace high saturated-fat food with unsaturated oils.
J Lipid Res, 2018 ↗“One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is 1-2 tbps of flaxseed fresh ground daily in yoghurt or water or juice.”
Foods identified to regulate inflammation included cranberries, grapes, pomegranate, strawberries, wheat, whole grain products, low fat dairy products, yogurt, green tea, cardamom, turmeric, soy foods, almonds, chia seeds, flaxseed, pistachios, algae oil, flaxseed oil and grape seed oil. Clinical trials that focus on a dietary pattern rich in functional foods are necessary to explore if the additive effect of these foods lead to more clinically relevant outcomes.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022 ↗“I'm currently taking flax seed oil capsules... They are quite good... increase regularity and help with other things like cholesterol... A slight but noticeable brain boost seemed to come along too.”
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate