Maximizing the benefits of flaxseed oil

The first step on Binudith (Bin) Warnakulasooriya’s road to discovery could never be described as “a eureka moment”. Rather, it was the moment when he picked up a bottle of flaxseed supplement capsules, glanced at the nutritional information on the label and wondered what this substance called “lignan” was.

Thus began a research project that would lead to an important discovery about how the flax plant produces secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG lignan), a potent anti-oxidant highly valued as a dietary supplement for cancer prevention and a range of other reported health benefits from lower cholesterol to anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

The project earned Bin, a 17-year-old grade 11 student at Winnipeg’s Fort Richmond Collegiate, the right to represent Manitoba in the national finals of this year’s Sanofi-Aventis Biotalent Challenge.

The first part of Bin’s experiment was to isolate and sequence the gene in flax DNA responsible for producing the enzyme which synthesizes SDG lignan. He was surprised to discover that it was not one gene, but two – the second “hidden” gene had never been isolated or sequenced before.

Then he examined sequence variations of the genes in 92 different types of flax, looking for the genetic key that would explain why SDG lignan content differs so widely from variety to variety. His findings, though not yet conclusive, suggest a connection between the different enzyme variations and the amount of lignan present in the plant.

“A hybridization or genetic engineering program to maximize the lignan content in Prairie flax varieties would be of great interest to our nutraceutical industry,” said Bin. He is talking with his mentor, Dr. Sylvie Cloutier, a scientist with the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada cereal research centre in Winnipeg, about continuing this research for next year’s SABC competition.