Flaxseed, an inexpensive plant seed eaten ground in foods or pressed into oil, is used to support heart health and blood sugar. Months of daily ground seed modestly lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve blood sugar in prediabetes or diabetes, ease constipation and slightly reduce weight; oil alone does not lower cholesterol. Longer life is unproven. Drawbacks include digestive discomfort, rare allergy and bowel obstruction with too little fluid. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| LDL cholesterol | <100 mg/dL (<70 mg/dL at high cardiovascular risk) | Main lipid target |
| Triglycerides | <100 mg/dL | Blood-fat response |
| HDL cholesterol | 50–80 mg/dL | Detect unintended drop |
| Fasting glucose | 75–90 mg/dL | Glycemic response |
| HbA1c | <5.4% | Three-month sugar trend |
| Fasting insulin | 2–6 µIU/mL | Insulin-sensitivity signal |
| CRP (high-sensitivity) | <1.0 mg/L | Inflammation response |
| Home blood pressure | <120/80 mmHg | Main blood-pressure effect |
| Omega-3 index | ≥8% | Shows how little plant omega-3 converts |
| ALT | <25 U/L | Liver-fat marker |
| TSH (situational) | 1.0–2.5 mIU/L | Thyroid check for cyanide breakdown product |
| INR (warfarin users only) | Individual therapeutic range (usually 2.0–3.0) | Detect additive bleeding effect |
Cadence: Baseline before starting; one repeat panel 12 weeks after reaching the target dose, then every 6–12 months. Home blood pressure, and finger-stick glucose on diabetes drugs, more often during the first 4–8 weeks.