Regarding the study “Flaxseed reduces plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesion formation in ovariectomized Golden Syrian hamsters”, the research question for Lucas et al. (2004) study is: Can flaxseed reduce plasma cholesterol and the formation of atherosclerotic lesion in women who are deficient in ovarian hormones or menopausal women? According to the study, in menopausal women, the deficiency of ovarian hormones will increase the level of plasma cholesterol and the risk of plaque formation which lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previously, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was used to solve this problem. However, it is related to an increased risk of some serious diseases such as ovarian cancer and breast cancer; therefore, a lot of women are turning to a safer way to deal with this problem. Recently, functional foods, foods which have the potential for health protection, are considered alternatives to use for reducing CVD risks, and flaxseed is one of those which is used to lower factors that cause CVD. Since it is rich in lignans, α-linolenic acid (ALA) and soluble fiber which can lower cholesterol level, flaxseed would be beneficial for decreasing CVD risks in postmenopausal women. From previous animal and human studies, we know that flaxseed has the potential to reduce concentrations of cholesterol. Moreover, it can also prevent atherosclerosis by interacting with the vessel wall. However, the effect of flaxseed in reducing plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesion formation associated with ovarian hormone deficiency has not been investigated (Lucas et al., 2004). For these reasons, this study focused on the dose-dependent effect of flaxseed on cholesterol concentrations and atherosclerotic lesion formation. S...
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...study and methods to measure and analyze data. Ovariectomized hamsters were proper representatives of postmenopausal women, since after ovariectomy, their plasma cholesterol and the formation of lesions were also increased. Moreover, the authors referred to related studies to develop the experiments and this also provides information about the importance of the project. However, samples collected during the study had to be kept and analyzed later; therefore, this may affect their condition and an accuracy of the results.
Works Cited
Lucas, A. E., Lightfoot, A. S., Hammond, J. L., Devareddy, L., Khalil, A. D., Daggy, P. B.,
Smith, J. B., Westcott, N., Mocanu, V., Soung, Y. D., Arjmandi, H. B. (2004). Flaxseed
reduces plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesion formation in ovariectomized Golden Syrian hamsters. Atherosclerosis, 173, 223-229.