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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research
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flaxseed and Reduced Blood Cholesterol

Research synthesisLow evidenceSmall effect4 studies · 2 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 4 studies on flaxseed for reduced blood cholesterol, 2 reported beneficial effects and 2 reported neutral effects. The beneficial effects were small to moderate in magnitude. Evidence is limited to clinical populations with type 2 diabetes, postmenopausal women, and coronary artery disease patients. The median study duration was 90 days. The most studied dose was 16 g daily.

  • Effective dose range: 16 g daily
  • Studied populations: patients with type 2 diabetes, postmenopausal women, patients with coronary artery disease

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 4 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Many of the included studies did not reach statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests. Mixed findings across populations and study designs; results from different meta-analyses point in opposite directions, suggesting the effect is inconsistent and may depend on patient characteristics or treatment duration.

Generated Jun 10, 2026
Doses used in studies
  • g/day: 16 (median 16, IQR 16–16) — 1 study
Time to effect
Median: 3 months · IQR 3 months–3 months · Range 3 months–3 months — Reported in 1 of 4 studies
4 of 4 papers
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