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Lignan is a class of diphenolic compounds that arise from the condensation of two phenylpropanoid moieties. Oilseed and cereal crops (e.g., flaxseed, sesame seed, wheat, barley, oats, rye, etc.) are major sources of plant lignan. Methods for commercial isolation of the lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) are not well reported, as most publications describing the detection, extraction, and enrichment of SDG use methods that have not been optimized for commercial scale lignan recovery. Simply scaling up laboratory methods would require expensive infrastructure to achieve a marketable yield and reproducible product quality. Therefore, establishing standard protocols to produce SDG and its derivatives on an industrial scale is critical to decrease lignan cost and increase market opportunities. This review summarizes the human health benefits of flaxseed lignan consumption, lignan physicochemical properties, and mammalian lignan metabolism, and describes methods for detecting, extracting, and enriching flaxseed lignan. Refining and optimization of these methods could lead to the development of inexpensive lignan sources for application as an ingredient in medicines, dietary supplements, and other healthy ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperlipidemia, high levels of blood lipids including cholesterol and triglycerides, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Traditional treatments of hyperlipidemia often include lifestyle changes and pharmacotherapy. Recently, flaxseed has been approved as a nutrient that lowers blood lipids. Several metabolites of flaxseed lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), have been identified that reduce blood lipids. SDG is present in flaxseed hull as an ester-linked copolymer with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid (HMGA). However, purification processes involved in hydrolysis of the copolymer and enriching SDG are often expensive. The natural copolymer of SDG with HMGA (SDG polymer) is a source of bioactive compounds useful in prophylaxis of hypercholesterolemia. After consumption of the lignan copolymer, SDG and HMGA are released in the stomach and small intestines. SDG is metabolized to secoisolariciresinol, enterolactone and enterodiol, the bioactive forms of mammalian lignans. These metabolites are then distributed throughout the body where they accumulate in the liver, kidney, skin, other tissues, and organs. Successively, these metabolites reduce blood lipids including cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lipid peroxidation products. In this review, the metabolism and efficacies of flaxseed-derived enriched SDG and SDG polymer will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic led to major changes in public policies to address supply chain disruption and escalated the price of consumer disinfectant products. To address market demands on alcohol‐based hand rubs and disinfectants, Health Canada implemented major changes to the regulations regarding composition, handling, transportation, and packaging to insure product availability. Furthermore, accelerated licensing of ingredients and packaging did not meet standard medical quality guidelines yet were authorized for manufacturing and packaging of alcohol‐based hand rubs and disinfectants. The accountability associated with these policy changes were reactive, including industry self‐reporting, consumer reporting, and Health Canada advisories and recalls that were responsive to products after they were available in the market. Nonetheless, Canadian public health policy increased hand sanitizers availability. However, some of the interim policies have raised major public health concerns associated with ethanol quality, packaging, and labeling, and enforcement of regulations. In this paper, we review the changes in the Canadian regulations amid the current pandemic and we evaluate the unintended health risks that might arise from these changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the Department of Health funded study "Making the most of policy evaluations", this paper explores the views of those working within the policy process about the role of evidence. It highlights a tension between formative and summative uses of research, which appeared to be exacerbated by a lack of clarity surrounding the objectives that policy leads had for the research. Additionally, the data reveal an uncertainty about the status of "pathfinder", "demonstration" and "pilot" sites within the policy process.