Been listening to Michael Mosley podcast and benefits of flaxseed. I am taking 90mg ticegrelor, 1.25mg bisoprolol and Aspirin 75mg. Had NStemi 6 months ago and stent fitted. My BP is quite low but considered good. Apparently on a big trial flaxseed didnt reduce BP in those that had low BP already. Have started taking flaxseed but now I’ve read that it’s recommended to discuss this with GP because if you’re on blood thinners it may make blood too thin. I will do this but has anyone had experience of this? I’d be grateful to know. Thank you ☺️
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Lovesunflower
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Sorry I can’t reply to your post specifically, but I agree that his podcasts are very informative, especially for people with heart conditions. I especially like the ones on the Mediterranean + diet and extra virgin olive oil. I’ll be listening to the flaxseed one and following this post. Please let us know what the GP says
Hi, I didn’t talk to GP but have stopped taking flaxseed because of general advice about Omega 3 and blood thinners and the discussions on here! I remembered when I asked cardiac rehab nurse after heart attack about supplements I also remember her saying I shouldn’t take Omega 3 supplements, only Vitamin D. So just to be on safe side I’ve now stopped the flaxseed. Pity because I want to reduce blood sugar. Maybe when I come off the Ticegrelor but will still be on aspirin. Will look at it again then.
Please don't be offended but, my advice would be to NEVER listen to Michael Mosley. This man has twigged on how to make a (good) living from fad diets, nutrition and general food problems. He has NO qualifications whatsoever apart from Psychiatry! You are as qualified as he is! As a long term user of warfarin I am always careful with herbal/natural foods and supplements as some can react or interact with it. I don't think it applies to all anticoagulants but it's best to check. Can I ask out of curiosity, why do you take flaxseed?
Just one example. He promotes one fad diet that's been around for years and almost passes it off as his own, even writing books on the subject. This particular diet that promotes fasting is the subject of a 20 year research study that has discovered in the last month, that it possibly almost doubles the risk of dying from cardio vascular disease. Now I reserve comment on the efficacy of the research as most things can be adapted to suit the audience at which it is aimed. His "research" is totally copied from other sources. The Mediterranean diet benefits have been well documented for fifty plus years ago as has olive oil, which is heart healthy, extra virgin or no! He'll be bringing his own brands out soon.
He wrote an article only two weeks ago claiming he was a doctor and naming four or five foods which were dangerous. He also advocated losing a stone in 21 days by stating the b------g obvious. This speed of weight loss is not recommended by ANY medical organisation in the world!
I have had an interest in diet and exercise for decades. In that time there have been numerous "experts" advocating revolutionary diets, exercise schemes and life styles. Some regimes work for some and different ones for others due to genetics, health issues, capabilities of easy following of the plans etc. I remember Gillian Keith with her weird thoughts on digestion and Linus Pauling telling us vitamin C in high quantities cured colds. The Juice diet, Meat diet, Fat diet and so on and so on. Most of them are very unhealthy and some downright dangerous! The one single essence they ALL share is that you are eating less calories and if your input is less then your output you will lose weight.
i'm afraid that whatever the diet experts peddle they are usually shown to be basing their ideas on unsound "facts" - even the reduction of calory intake theory is now being questioned
furthermore I am not suggesting any extreme changes or promoting any faddy diet, simply offering some small changes which might be beneficial, so i'd appreciate it if you aimed your comments about this at someone who is
probably because your responses are done by selecting "Reply" from the options below my responses - so in the same way that this response is addressed to you, yours are adressed to me
Agreed. I think that communication is key. I am not a fan particularly, but I read widely, if not too deeply about health matters. He has a good way of presenting,, yes, what has often been known all along like an apple a day etc. but he appeals to a wide audience who may otherwise not be considering their health issues or that their diet could be improved.
Mosley did complete a full medical degree, but left medicine after that never getting to do any psychiatry specialist training. Psychiatrists are actually fully qualified drs. and like other specialities have to do further training and take Royal College qualifications. He has very cleverly commandeered others bona fide research and popularised it, and sadly is probably more knowledgeable than most GPs on anything to do with diet/ nutrition…if you want to keep up to date by real researchers and drs. try all the Zoe Food and Nutrition podcasts!
Thanks Judith but, I don't want to keep up to date with diet and nutrition. Everything we need to know is known. My whole "thing" about Mosley is that he is preaching what has been known for decades and passing some of it off as his own. Do you not agree that his 800, 5-2, keto etc. diets ARE fads? The very thing he is trying to steer people away from?
I may also add that he has just toured the UK spouting what he declares are myths about diet and exercise. One typical example is "you burn more calories walking downstairs than going up"! It's garbage! Good luck to the man for his clever use of media and if people want to follow him that's their choice. I do actually enjoy these debates though.🙂
I do wonder to what extent GPs and pharmacists, whether attached to the surgery or in chemists, can advise on every combination of supplements, health foods, prescribed medicines and medical condition. (I certainly wouldn't ask a pharmacist in a chemist as they don't have access to one's records.) I am VERY wary of health gurus on YouTube. I Google and then visit at least four of the recommended websites, checking their credentials. I Googled "flax seed blood thinners" and the results suggested that it was not advisable to take the seeds. But judge for yourself.
Michael Mosley the medical journalist should live forever with amount of stuff he promotes /endorses 🤦🏼🤣.. gone right off him but I still try to hear the messages.
Hi, what an interesting post. I have flaxseed on my cereal every day and have never given any thoughts to how it might interact my medications, which includes the anti-, platelet drug clopidogel instead of aspirin . I use it as additional roughage together with bran and sometimes prunes to counteract one of the side effects of Amitriptyline which I need for the pain caused by ischaemic disease of my legs. I would be very interested to hear your GP's opinion.
See my reply, above, to Lovesunflower. Googling "Clopidogrel flaxseed" suggests that the combination might not be a good idea, but judge for yourself. In other threads I've mentioned a problem I had with a friend who's studying nutrition and sells (over-priced) health products and has given me at least NINE hard-sell talks about Omega-3 capsules. The last was three weeks after my TAVI - and was so intense that it nearly destroyed our relationship. If taken with Clopidogrel they can reduce its effect.
Ironically I now have a very high reading for Lactate dehydrogenase, and Dr Google suggests that the only supplements that might help to reduce it are high doses of Vitamin C - and Omega 3!
Thanks for your reply. I think it is very difficult to assess interactions with medications. Drs generally know less than pharmacists, but as you point out the latter don't have access to medical records. I'm wary of Dr Google unless there is reference to the actual research upon which information is based, such as the nature, size and duration of any trials. I will certainly look into this for myself.
When I asked my heart surgeon post-op about Omega 3, he merely laughed but didn't specifically warn me. (BTW he's been proved wrong about two others pieces of post-op advice he gave me.)
And I can't believe it ... Shortly after posting above about my friend and her hard sell of Omega 3, I checked my WhatsApp messages and she'd sent me two links to talks by the doctor who works for her health supplements company explaining why some doctors do not suggest fish oils. She even gave me some Omega 3 for Christmas, with a warning on the box to first check with one's GP if on blood-thinners ...
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