Leinsamen-Lignane: Eigenschaften und gesundheitliche Vorteile

The lignans secoisolariciresinol (SECO) and its diglucoside secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) derived from flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) are associated with a range of health benefits, including lowering serum cholesterol levels, delaying the onset of type II diabetes, and reducing the formation of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. The health benefits of SECO and SDG can be partially attributed to their antioxidant properties. To better understand their antioxidant characteristics, SECO and SDG are oxidized, and the main radical-scavenging oxidation products of the lignans and their formation over time are determined. Flaxseed lignans act as chain-breaking antioxidants in food and biological systems. This suggests that flaxseed lignans may be useful as alternative natural antioxidant preservatives and could be applicable in this role in vegetable oils and other oil-based foods to provide additional health benefits as antioxidant or anti-estrogenic compounds.