Olie® Naturals Puppy Health

What Is Lignan?

Lignan can be mainly found in the flax seed hull—it’s what keeps flax oil and fibre protected in nature!  It is a very powerful anti-oxidant which benefits the heart, joints, immune and digestive systems.  Lignan also works to balance hormones, providing much needed support after spay/neuter surgeries.

Hormone Balance

There is increasing awareness about the importance of hormones, especially when a puppy is growing.  Hormones are responsible for much more than simply reproduction - they also play an essential role in brain, bone and ligament development.  Early spay/neuter has been linked to higher rates of hip dysplasia, fractures due to low bone density as well as tears in knee ligaments (often shown by limping and/or sudden lameness in rear legs).  Other adverse health effects include higher incidence of cancers, urinary incontinence, hypothyroidism and other hormonally-related disorders, and greater susceptibility to infectious disease.

Although there are alternative surgeries to allow the dog or cat to retain their hormonal organs and yet become infertile, these are not widely available.  Also, many breeders and rescue groups require spay/neuter at a young age.  In order to naturally support hormonal balance and support proper growth and development, flax lignan has very unique qualities.

The main nutritional benefits of lignans stem from:    

#1) their natural phytoestrogen content to balance/modulate hormone levels for better brain, bone, and ligament development, and prevent hormone associated imbalances in older pets.  

#2) their high level of inflammation and pathogen fighting anti-oxidants - lignans contain one of the highest antioxidant level (ORAC rating) of any fruit or vegetable listed in the USDA database    

#3) their high content of both soluble and insoluble fibre.

Fibre is a valuable source of prebiotics to improve overall microbiome health and host immunity, and fibre is known absorb impurities, improve bowel movements and digestion.

Research has attributed many positive associations with high dietary consumption of lignans including lower rates of the following: infections, cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, canine Cushing disease, and urinary incontinence associated with low hormones.  

Unlike pharmaceuticals, nutritional compounds like lignans never work in isolation. They are best delivered in foods where a wide spectrum of other nutrients work in synergy to produce results.

In terms of nutritional support, flax lignans are among the most studied phytoestrogen nutrients to support hormonal balance in spayed/neutered animals.

Lignan Works® Pet Ingredients: Organic flax hulls.