Daily choices of functional foods supplemented with milled flaxseed by a patient population over one year

Abstract Dietary supplementation with milled flaxseed has provided significant health-related benefits to patients with cardiovascular disease (the FlaxPAD Trial). The purpose of this study was to examine which foods that contained flaxseed were best accepted over the one year duration of daily supplementation. Milled flaxseed (30 g) or a placebo (30 g of milled wheat) was incorporated into muffins, bagels, snack bars (all in different flavours), buns, tea biscuits and pasta or distributed in bags to sprinkle into their food of choice. Patients were free to choose each day the type of food product that they would consume. Over the course of one year, bagels were consumed > muffins > bars > sprinkles > biscuits > pasta > buns. The trends and quantities chosen were the same for flax and placebo foods. More flavourful varieties were generally better accepted. In conclusion, functional foods containing milled flaxseed will be ingested by a patient population over extended periods similar to placebo foods.