by Dr. Herb Joiner-Bey
How is it that high-quality flaxseed oil, such as Barlean’s Organic Flaxseed Oil, can benefit both physically fit top performance athletes and people challenged by obesity? The answer lies in the wide-ranging benefits of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the essential omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed oil in abundance.

Nowhere have the benefits of flaxseed oil for athletic performance been more publicly demonstrated than in preparing Hilary Swank for her Oscar-winning performance as a boxer in Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece, Million Dollar Baby. I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Swank’s renowned personal trainer, Grant Roberts, who owns several gyms in the U.S. and in his native Canada. He had the task of adding at least 10 pounds of lean muscle to her already lean physique in nine weeks. To everyone’s amazement, Mr. Roberts’ regimen and Ms. Swank’s hard work added more than 20 pounds of muscle in that time. How was this possible?

In addition to an intense weight-training program and lots of practice honing her boxing skills, he put her on a daily 4,000-calorie diet. Half of those calories were in the form of high-protein sources. One quarter of her daily intake (1,000 calories) was in the form of flaxseed oil. (That amounts to eight or nine tablespoons daily.) The choice of flaxseed oil was a shrewd decision on his part based on years of hard-earned experience.

Every aspiring athlete needs to hear what Grant Roberts personally told me that confirms my own understanding about nutrition and bodybuilding. According to Mr. Roberts, nutrition represents 60 percent to 70 percent of the effective input to building lean body mass. The remaining 30 percent to 40 percent of positive results arise from a judiciously-designed exercise program. Thus, there is no substitute for proper nutrition in athletics, and too few coachers and trainers are passing on this wisdom to young, aspiring athletes.

A Nutritional Edge for the Competitive Athlete
So why is a top personal trainer like Grant Roberts so keen on flaxseed oil?

In addition to optimal hydration, flaxseed oil can give a winning edge to the professional or amateur athlete.

The benefits of flax oil are wide ranging. First, flaxseed oil is a great energy source, especially for endurance athletes and those who burn lots of energy during rigorous workouts. The body does not store enough glycogen to fulfill this energy need. Although the brain uses sugar as its main energy source, the rest of the body uses fat, and flaxseed fatty acids provide clean-burning fuel for tough training routines without disturbing blood sugar the way refined carbohydrates do. Vigorous exercise puts great stress on muscles, tendons, and joint tissues. Fortunately, the local hormones (prostaglandins) synthesized from omega-3 fatty acids (such as EPA produced from ALA) on cell membranes are non-inflammatory. Therefore, the tendency for tissue to become inflamed after exercise is vastly reduced. This benefit shortens recovery time and allows athletes to stay at their performance peak longer.

Rigorous training actually causes micro-tears in muscle tissue. In addition to dietary protein that replenishes repair proteins within muscle cells, essential fatty acids are needed to build cell, nuclear, and mitochondrial membranes that help to remodel and refurbish muscle and connective tissues. For body builders trying to create muscle mass that they want to be seen, the last thing they need is an energy source that will deposit body fat that will hide the muscle they have worked so hard to build. Research has demonstrated that animal fats in the diet cause more storage of depot fat on the body than vegetable fats. And of the vegetable fats, ALA sources, such as flaxseed oil, cause the least amount of new fat storage compared to the omega-6 sources, such as corn, sunflower, or safflower oils.

For sports requiring quick reflexes and good hand-eye coordination—for example, tennis, ping pong, etc.—the effect of emega-3 fatty acids on nerve and muscle reflexes is important. Electrical impulses that move along nerves to activate muscle movements flow along membranes, and cell membranes are made of fatty acids. If the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids on nerve and muscle cell membranes is out of balance, with an over-preponderance of omega-6s, it is possible to have detrimental effects on the efficiency of nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction response. This benefit that flaxseed ALA can have on the coordination of nerve impulses and muscle contractions has been clearly demonstrated with respect to impulse disturbances in heart muscle leading to cardiac arrhythmias. The same benefit can be applied to nerve and skeletal muscle function in athletes.

The Weight Loss Connection
So how do all these benefits of flaxseed oil apply to weight loss? We need to overcome the fat phobia that has permeated American culture for years. Scientific investigators are now recognizing the greater importance of the type of dietary fat, rather than the absolute quantity of fat, as a major risk factor in chronic disease. This conclusion even applies to obesity and weight management.

The distinction between animal fats, especially fats derived from livestock raised on grains (sources of omega-6s), rather than green vegetation (sources of omega-3s), and vegetable fats applies to obesity as well as it does to athletics. The omega-6-laden animal fats Americans commonly consume put more depot fat on the body than vegetable oils. And among the vegetable oils, ALA sources, such as flaxseed oil, put the least amount of depot fat on the body. But the good news about omega-3s gets even better.

According to lab animal studies, the omega-3 fatty acids actually help to enhance the body metabolism to increase thermogenesis, the generation of body heat to burn off excess calories. Even if one chooses to use the kind of herbal combinations that manufacturers promise will induce this kind of metabolic change, the addition of flaxseed oil as a metabolism-boosting energy source must not be overlooked. But the attractiveness of flax oil for obesity gets even sweeter.

Almost Too Good To Be True
Some readers may think that all these benefits cannot possibly be derived from one dietary change. But these blessings are possible if we simply nourish cells with building materials intended by Divine Intelligence. The basic dosing recommendation is one tablespoon of organic, unfiltered flaxseed oil per 100 pounds of body weight.

Consult and, if necessary, educate your health professionals about adding flaxseed oil to your diet. My book, The Healing Power of Flax, published by Freedom Press, has dozens of recipes to make the transition easy and delicious.

Prefer fresh, organic, and unfiltered flaxseed oil, such as Barlean’s Highest Lignan Organic Flaxseed Oil, to take maximum advantage of the full range of nutrients, accessory food factors, and phytochemicals this valuable resource has to offer athletes and non-athletes alike.

Resources
To find a natural health center carrying these products in your area, call Barlean’s toll-free at (800) 445-3529 or use their store locator service at www.barleans.com.

Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.