[[Flaxseed]] and [[Sesame Seeds]] contain higher levels of lignans than most other foods. The principal lignan precursor found in flaxseed is secoisolariciresinol diglucoside. Other sources of lignans include cereals (rye, wheat, oat and [[barley]] - rye being the richest source), [[soybean]]s, [[Cruciferous Vegetables]] such as [[broccoli]] and [[cabbage]], and some fruits, particularly [[apricot]]s and [[strawberries]].<br>
Secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol were the first plant lignans identified in foods. Pinoresinol and lariciresinol are more recently identified plant lignans that contribute substantially to the total dietary lignan intakes. Typically, Lariciresinol and pinoresinol contribute about 75% to the total lignan intake whereas secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol contribute only about 25%.This distribution may change as the contributions of syringaresinol and hydroxymatairesinol have not properly been quantified in foods.
<table width="100%" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1">
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><div align="center"><strong>Total Lignan Content of Selected
Foods</strong>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Food </strong></td>
<td><strong>Serving </strong></td>
<td><div align="center"><strong>Total Lignans (mg)</strong></div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Flaxseeds </td>
<td>1 oz </td>
<td><div align="center">85.5</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Sesame seeds </td>
<td>1 oz </td>
<td><div align="center">11.2</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Curly kale </td>
<td>½ cup, chopped </td>
<td><div align="center">0.8</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Broccoli </td>
<td>½ cup, chopped </td>
<td><div align="center">0.6</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Apricots </td>
<td>½ cup, sliced </td>
<td><div align="center">0.4</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cabbage </td>
<td>½ cup, chopped <br /> </td>
<td><div align="center">0.3</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brussels sprouts </td>
<td>½ cup, chopped </td>
<td><div align="center">0.3</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Strawberries </td>
<td>½ cup </td>
<td><div align="center">0.2</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Tofu </td>
<td>¼ block (4 oz) </td>
<td><div align="center">0.2</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dark rye bread </td>
<td>1 slice </td>
<td><div align="center">0.1</div></td>
</tr>
</table>
A recent study shows the complexity of mammalian lignan precursors in the diet. In the table below are a few examples of the 22 analyzed species and the 24 lignans identified in this study.
Mammalian lignan precursors as aglycones (µg / 100 g). Major compound(s) in bold.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Foodstuff!!Pinoresinol||Syringaresinol||Sesamin||Lariciresinol||Secoisolariciresinol||Matairesinol||Hydroxymatairesinol
|-
|Flaxseed||871||48||not detected||1780||'''165759'''||529||35
|-
|Sesame seed||'''47136'''||205||'''62724'''||13060||240||1137||7209
|-
|Rye bran||'''1547'''||'''3540'''||not detected||'''1503'''||462||729||1017
|-
|Wheat bran||138||882||not detected||672||868||410||'''2787'''
|-
|Oat bran||'''567'''||297||not detected||'''766'''||90||440||'''712'''
|-
|Barley bran||71||140||not detected||133||42||42||'''541'''
|}
[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:X]]