IJCS | Volume 31, Nº2, March / April 2018

118 Martins et al. Flaxseed ReducesTNF-α Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2018;31(2)114-122 Original Article Table 2 – Mean, median, minimum and maximum, standard deviation, and p values for LDL-C in all groups Variable Group n Mean Median Minimum Maximum Standard deviation p value* LDL-C (baseline) Control (G1) 10 8.64 8.45 2.90 18.10 5.61 Cholesterol (G2) 10 7.83 6.30 1.20 27.10 7.60 Flaxseed (G3) 9 11.92 7.40 4.50 27.30 7.94 0.305 LDL- C (end of the study) Control (G1) 10 21.57 16.45 3.90 81.00 21.49 Cholesterol (G2) 10 90.09 32.00 7.50 348.00 123.47 Flaxseed (G3) 8 26.95 22.00 2.40 93.00 29.82 0.145 Difference (end of the study - baseline) Control (G1) 10 12.93 11.65 -5.70 63.50 19.71 Cholesterol (G2) 10 82.26 21.95 4.90 341.80 124.45 Flaxseed (G3) 9 12.03 0.50 -27.30 79.40 30.61 0.085 * Nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05. Table 3 – Mean, median, minimum and maximum, standard deviation, and p values for HDL-C in all groups Variable Group n Mean Median Minimum Maximum Standard deviation p value* HDL-C (baseline) Control (G1) 10 19.29 16.45 10.30 37.30 8.60 Cholesterol (G2) 10 17.15 17.70 9.80 25.40 5.78 Flaxseed (G3) 9 15.79 13.40 7.70 33.50 8.35 0.475 HDL-C (end of the study) Control (G1) 10 21.55 22.50 1.00 41.90 12.80 Cholesterol (G2) 10 48.76 25.65 4.30 290.70 85.99 Flaxseed (G3) 8 28.16 26.25 4.20 60.00 17.71 0.780 Difference (end of the study - baseline) Control (G1) 10 2.26 -2.15 -13.30 14.90 10.39 Cholesterol (G2) 10 31.61 9.00 -15.30 278.70 87.50 Flaxseed (G3) 9 9.24 8.00 -16.50 46.60 17.48 0.570 * Nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05. hypercholesterolemia and used a lignan extract from flaxseed during an 8-week period. The LDL-C levels in the group that received 600 mg of the extract decreased betweenweeks 6 and 8. These authors concluded that the lignan extract decreased the concentration of cholesterol in a dose-dependent manner. One study investigated the effect of phytosterol intake and indicated that blood cholesterol levels decreased after 4 weeks. 17 In addition, cholesterol levels remained unchanged between weeks 8 and 12, 18,19 which suggested that seasonal factors may have affected the results. In the present study, TC increased in all tested groups. Studies have shown that lignans present in flaxseed reduce serum cholesterol. This effect is probably related to their antioxidant properties, provided by secoisolariciresinol lignan (SDG), enterolactone, and enterodiol, which inhibit the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in vitro and favor the decrease in cholesterol levels. 20 One hypothesis to explain the discrepancy between the results of this study from others in the literature is the high concentration of ingested cholesterol.