The struggle is real for many people following a plant-based diet: You know the health benefits of fish oil, but you don’t want to consume fish. Well, the good news is that there’s a wonderful plant-based omega-3 that offers big health benefits and doesn’t involve taking fish oil: flax oil.
The Health Benefits of Flax Oil
While fish oil tends to steal the spotlight when it comes to omega-3 supplements, flax oil is a plant-based omega-3 with impressive research backing up its health benefits. Clinical research has found this plant-based omega-3 is a powerhouse when it comes to heart health: One study of nearly 60 people found supplementing with one tablespoon of flax oil for 12 weeks led to supported healthy blood pressure levels versus supplementing with another vegetable oil.
Flax oil also has also been shown to improve skin health, adds Hawkes. In one small study, women who supplemented with flax oil for 12 weeks found improvements in skin hydration and smoothness, and less irritation, roughness and sensitivity.
Why Emulsified Flax Oil is Best
Just like most oils we ingest, the body isn’t able to break them down so they’re fully digested and absorbed, says Hawkes. Digestive enzymes and bile emulsify and micronize the oil we consume (translation: mix it with water and reduce it into smaller, easier-to-absorb molecules) so that it can travel to our intestines where it’s absorbed—but this process can make us feel queasy, and prompt nutrient loss along the way. When you take emulsified flax oil, that emulsification work your body would otherwise have to do has been done already, says Hawkes—which means your body doesn’t need to work so hard (and potentially lose valuable nutrients in the process).
“Emulsified flax oil allows you to more quickly and efficiently absorb the plant-based omega-3 into your bloodstream,” says Hawkes, “which means you’re actually getting more of the health-boosting ALA.”
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