A recently completed study, published in JAMA Pediatrics journal in June 2013, reported that children who were fed flaxseed in the hope of reducing hypercholesterolemia (high levels of cholesterol in the blood) found some disturbing results.

The children consuming flaxseed had reduced HDL levels (this is the good cholesterol) and increased triglycerides in the plasma (blood). Neither of these results are positive, in fact they are just the opposite.

In terms of total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol) flaxseed had no effect.

The bottom line which one can conclude from this study is that children consuming flaxseed in the hopes of helping their blood profile, could very well be disappointed, and the opposite effect seems more likely.