Secoisolariciresinol is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

. It is classified as a

lignan The lignans are a large group of low molecular weight polyphenols found in plants, particularly seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The name derives from the Latin word for "wood". Lignans are precursors to phytoestrogens. They may play a role ...

, i.e., a type of

phenylpropanoid The phenylpropanoids are a diverse family of organic compounds that are synthesized by plants from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Their name is derived from the six-carbon, aromatic phenyl group and the three-carbon propene tail of ...

. It is present in some cereals, e.g. rye, and together with

matairesinol Matairesinol is an organic compound. It is classified as a lignan, i.e., a type of phenylpropanoid. It is present in some cereals, e.g. rye, and together with Secoisolariciresinol, has attracted much attention for its beneficial nutritional effec ...

, has attracted much attention for its beneficial nutritional effects.

Occurrence

The water extract of

silver fir Silver fir is a common name for several trees and may refer to: *''Abies alba ''Abies alba'', the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Car ...

wood contains more than 5% of secoisolariciresinol. It is also present in nettle brew. Its content in

flaxseed Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in W ...

(Linum usitatıssimum) was found to be 0.3%, which is the highest known content in food.

Biomedical aspects

In the intestine the gut microflora can form secoisolariciresinol from the

secoisolariciresinol diglucoside Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is an antioxidant phytoestrogen present in flax, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds. In food, it can be found in commercial breads containing flaxseed. It is a precursor of mammal lignans which are pro ...

and it can then be further transformed into the

enterolignan Enterolignans are organic compounds formed by the action of gut microflora on lignans. They are thus the products of the combined action of both plants and of the animal gut. Prominent enterolignans are enterodiol and enterolactone Enterolactone ...

enterodiol Enterodiol is an organic compound with the formula OC6H4CH2CH(CH2OH)sub>2. It is formed by the action of intestinal bacteria on lignan precursors. As such it is sometimes classified as a enterolignan Enterolignans are organic compounds formed ...

. Epidemiological studies showed associations between secoisolariciresinol intake and decreased risk of

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

are promising, but they are yet not well established, perhaps due to low lignan intakes in habitual Western diets. At the higher doses used in intervention studies, associations were more evident.

Glycosides

Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is an antioxidant phytoestrogen present in flax, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds. In food, it can be found in commercial breads containing flaxseed. It is a precursor of mammal lignans which are pro ...

References

Lignans Phenol ethers Primary alcohols {{phenol-stub