Effects of Dietary Flaxseed on Symptoms of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease (FLAXPAD)

Dr. Grant Pierce

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 3; Phase 2

Conditions: Peripheral Arterial Disease

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Placebo; Dietary Supplement: Flaxseed

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00781950

10941-011

Details and patient eligibility

About

This Clinical Trial is being conducted to study how patients with peripheral arterial disease (a condition in which the blood vessels of the extremities are affected) respond to a dietary regimen of flaxseed. The purpose of the study is to examine whether or not dietary flaxseed have any effect on improving symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the effects of dietary flaxseed on exercise tolerance will be assessed.

Full description

The proposed trial is a one year, double blinded, placebo controlled study designed to examine and compare the effects of dietary ground flaxseed supplementation in volunteers with claudication secondary to lower extremity atherosclerotic arterial disease (peripheral arterial disease). The original proposal was for a two year study duration but this was truncated at one year to insure patient compliance remained high. This patient population is likely to benefit from flaxseed because there is a high prevalence of accelerated atherosclerosis and a higher than normal incidence of arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions and stroke. This study will be focus on whether dietary flaxseed can reduce clinical manifestations of peripheral arterial disease and increase exercise capacity in these patients. Two general hypotheses will be tested in this proposal. First, we hypothesize that fewer primary and secondary events (all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, stroke, myocardial infarctions, angina, arrhythmias) will occur in patients who ingest flaxseed in their diet. Secondly, we hypothesize that dietary flaxseed supplementation will be associated with beneficial effects on exercise performance, blood pressure and circulating lipid levels. This trial will generate data on the safety, tolerability, cardiovascular efficacy and genomic response to a diet rich in flaxseed in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Enrollment: 110 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40 to 100 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects with peripheral arterial disease for more than 6 months.
• Male or female with claudication secondary to lower extremity atherosclerotic arterial disease. (with limited IC but not incapacitated for walking on the level) confirmed with ankle/brachial pressures< or = to 0.9 in one or both legs) or who have had a previous intervention for peripheral arterial disease.
• Over 40 years old
• Able to comply with protocol requirements
• Able to provide informed consent
• Subjects taking anti-platelet therapy medication must be on a stable dose for 3 months prior to as well as during the study.
• Subjects taking lipid lowering medication must be on a stable dose for 3 months prior to as well as during the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with ischemic rest pain in limbs, ulceration, or gangrene.
• At baseline, any condition that prevents walking on a treadmill.
• History of major bleeding.
• Patients with bowel disease (including Crohn's disease, celiac disease, peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis).
• Patients with an estimated life expectancy less than 2 years and with high baseline cardiac risk (post ischemic or diabetic cardiomyopathy with EF<40%, Canadian Cardiovascular Society Class 3 or 4 angina or need for coronary revascularization procedures).
• Moderate to severe renal failure.
• Subjects that are on supplements other that those prescribed by their clinician for the entire duration of the study.
• Fish limitations (no more than 2 fish meals per week)
• Gluten allergy
• Subjects with allergies to any ingredient in the study product or placebo.
• Patients who plan to undergo surgery during the course of the trial.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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110 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Placebo

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Randomized, Blinded Controlled Arm of patients receiving placebo food products (ie: bagels, muffins, bars, pasta, buns, and milled seeds) containing a mixture of wheat and wheat bran to replace the flaxseed daily for one year.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Placebo

Flaxseed

Experimental group

Description:

Randomized, Blinded group of patients that will be given food products (ie: bagels, muffins, bars, pasta, buns, and milled seeds) containing 30 g of milled flaxseed daily for one year

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Flaxseed