Dr. K and all
I recently read on another Facebook group that a moderator stated that she doesn’t recommend flax because it’s high in iron, through everything here I have never heard that before. Is this another misnomer like beets?

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Bobbie and Desi
NRC Plus March 2020
Utah, Nov 2018

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Bobbie%20and%20Desi 

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=78821

Thanks Sherry
I did do a search but too many hits .
Thank you I don’t plan to quit feeding it I had just never heard that.


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Bobbie and Desi
NRC Plus March 2020
Utah, Nov 2018

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Bobbie%20and%20Desi

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=78821

That sounds like my group, so I owe you an answer!

I have just bought some flax flakes from Provida, iron rocks in at 133mg/kg, that's pretty good. Reading the data sheet, I really like the zinc: copper: manganese balance too.

Iron has been my 'gateway' mineral into balanced nutrition, I think it can be for other people too, and it is fascinating learning all about it.
I started with clinical signs of iron overload in both of my horses, blood tests (not the ferritin, but TIBC & serum), knowing my soil is high in iron and ALSO my neighbour's pasture is (my bags are in the post for testing- had to wait for the drought to break before I had enough to pick!), and realising their feeds had been high in iron too (whoops, I was feeding beet (soaked, not rinsed); a pre-mix with added iron- low, but still causing problems). I'm blood testing again (three months later) so I can check what's happened. Both horses have improved out of sight since I began this journey :) 

When I realised I had a crisis on my hands, the first thing I did was feed sunflower meal (to get the balanced minerals in) because the supplier had advised it's 32mg/kg in iron. Just half a cup a day mainly to top up protein, E & omegas, and then they have access to rough grass and lots of hay. 

Recently a few inflammation things popped up in my appy (eye flared up, sensitive skin), so I went back and looked into what I was feeding her a bit further. The KER Vitamin E article came out and I thought, aha, she could do with some extra E (because her mineral mix was half what they recommended). I also looked at omega 3:6 in the sunflower meal, read about the phytic acid (is that a flax meal challenge too?) and decided flax is better in that regard. I added E and flax oil and her eye got better and she was less sensitive to touch. She's tested PSSM1 negative btw, I checked.  

I really wanted to know more about sunflower meal but the supplier has not been forthcoming with their data sheet...so I have moved to the flax flakes (just half a cup a day)...we have questions with them for data sheet, omega 3:^ balance and phytic acid, hopefully they will get back to us. 

So yes, flax is highER in iron than we have been told sunflower meal is, and we do avoid beet (at 762mg/kg...but you can get that down with repeat rinsing) but flax it is a better option for the Fe:ZN:CU:Mn ratio and for the omegas.

Noone is followng me in that Facebook group, I didn't expect it to attract so many members, I set it up to share mine and my friend's journey with the iron so that people could benefit from what we had learnt the long way and the hard way.

We are all learning as we go, noone's following me, we're following the science, Libby and I will be taking Kellon's course in March :)

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Louise B, New Zealand, joined in 2021

Wow Louise
Sounds like a journey, but this doesn’t look familiar to me. I don’t think it was your group but thanks !
I have taken Dr.K’s classes and honestly I have never thought of flax and iron.


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Bobbie and Desi
NRC Plus March 2020
Utah, Nov 2018

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Bobbie%20and%20Desi

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=78821

Two more links

Dr Kellon on Phytic acid - https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/message/132291
and
Comparison of commonly used seeds including Sunflowers, Chia, Hemp, Rice Bran and Flax
https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/files/5%20Core%20Diet/Omega%203%20and%20Omega%206/FlaxBOSSpeasCHIAhemp.pdf

The amount of iron flax is contributing to the overall diet is minimal.  Balancing the hay, avoid supplements that have added iron are the two best ways to address dietary overload. Dietary overload is different from Iron Overload on a tissue level. This source sites 2.7 mg per 100 grams. The .pdf sited above lists 3.2 mg per the 2 ounces typically recommended here.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4375225/

Mineral absorbtion and Phytic acid has been studied in humans and is thought to block some however, horses are different as Dr Kellon points out in the above link.

Nancy C in NH
ECIR Moderator 2003
ECIR Group Inc. President/Treasurer  2020-2021
Join us at the 2021 NO Laminitis! Conference, August 13-15, ECIR Virtual Conference Room

Thanks Nancy
That helps a lot.

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Bobbie and Desi
NRC Plus March 2020
Utah, Nov 2018

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Bobbie%20and%20Desi 

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=78821

High iron was not been confirmed by my analysis of stabilized ground flax. Iron was only 48 ppm as fed, 52 ppm as DM.
https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/files/9c%20Analyses%20of%20Various%20Feeds/Triple%20Crown%20Products/Triple%20Crown%20Flax%202017-06-20.pdf
That was only one bag, so it doesn't mean much.

Iron content of linseed meal shown at Equi-Analytical is considerably higher, with a large range from 0 to 777.8 ppm as Dry Matter. The average is 286.5 ppm iron as DM. So if you feed 100 grams, you add..... only 28.65 mg of iron. That is a small fraction compared to the 980 mg of iron in 18 pounds of my hay.
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Cass, Sonoma Co., CA 2012
ECIR Group Moderator
Cayuse and Diamond Case History Folder                
Cayuse Photos                Diamond Photos

Oh good, glad it wasn't my group :)
Very interesting information, especially on ground flax vs. flax meal.

I missed one of those replies and I think the thread's been deleted (possibly because the question had been asked before, so thanks for the tidy up, Admin!)

I will check out the rest. Sorry about my poor forum etiquette not replying.

Sherry, I haven't tested Stormy for IR or PPID. Since starting my iron journey she has held weight well, her general condition (coat, eye, muscles, top line) has improved, and she seems happy too. Last week she'd just got over an abscess (last of the poor white line quality growing down & a bit of grit had tracked up in there) and I fed her a scoop of a grain based food- doh- that caused her eye to flare up and I guess she was a bit compromised from the abscess too (which my UK trained farrier helped me with). Her right eye and the skin sensitivity settled overnight with the addition of some extra Vitamin E and 75ml flax oil. 
My last horse (rest his soul) was on the IR side in terms of symptoms- he gained weight easily, I wasn't onto the iron and balanced minerals when I had him. I built a large track on my property and the horses really benefit from all that movement. It isn't grass free because it doesn't need to be, they get lots of hay :) My IR horse died last year with colic and had some large inoperable melanomas too that were affecting his quality of life :(. He was grey and only 16 :( I now wonder if iron was a factor, but you live and learn and my two current horses are looking well, Love the ones that are here, ay.

I will keep a close watch on that IR/ PPID suggestion and hopefully it's ok if I lurk around this forum to learn...my goal is to prevent IR issues with a healthy lifestyle (movement), the right feed & balanced minerals. 

Aroha x


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Louise B, New Zealand, joined in 2021