Study Suggests Flaxseed Oil Prevents Fatty Liver Disease

A study on fatty liver disease has been published recently, noting some interesting discoveries about the role of flaxseed oil in the prevention of the alcohol induced disease. The research paid particular attention to the compound α-linoleic acid abundant in flaxseed oil.

In the fatty liver disease study, the researchers discovered that mice exposed to ethanol consumption had a surge in the use of fatty acids in their liver that result in hepatic steatosis.  Thereafter, α-linolenic acid rich in flaxseed oil was increased and the reversion of the accumulation of the fatty acid was observed. The process by which this happened was reported to be somewhat due to lesser endoplasmic reticulum stress in the liver cells.

The development of the fatty liver disease is connected to the fat accumulation in the liver.  This type of disease is reported to be the leading cause of death, as the post-mortem analysis of alcoholics reveals extremely large fatty liver. Although not all liver diseases are related to alcohol, the alcohol itself has been indicative of inducing such disease with chronic consumption, Liver Support reported.

Based on previous studies, it was found that alcohol-induced fat accumulation in the liver includes processes that encourage a stress response from ER and different gene-regulating transcription features found in lipid synthesis tracks.  Of specific note is the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase as well as the protein adiponectin - both have been discovered in abnormal concentrations in people who suffer from alcohol-induced liver diseases.

However, a previous research indicates that flaxseed oil could also become a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent specifically in the brain.

The fatty liver disease study appears to show that flaxseed oil has the potential to slow down or prevent alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, but it may also be the instance that other multiple plant oils aside from flaxseed oil have the same effects. The outcomes are, nonetheless exciting, and the researchers are expected to conduct human testing soon to determine if these reported benefits of flaxseed can be validated, according to Nature.