The market potential of flax might be further strengthened by
the use of seedcakes, a material which up to now has been used
only marginally for animal feeding.
Recently, flax seedcake extract, rather than intact seedcakes,
has started to be considered as a feasible source of bioactive
compounds. So far, the extract has been studied as a potential antitumor
and anti-bacteria agent. For example, the lignan-rich extract
from linseed hulls was investigated as a potent agent reducing the
risk of some chronic hormonal conditions, such as benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH). Rats with BPH induced using the testosterone
propionate were fed with a diet containing different quantities of
extract. It was found thatthe lignan-rich extract significantly inhibited
testosterone propionate-induced prostate size, and this effect
was dose dependent (Bisson et al., 2014).