I have low cholesterol but it even got lower when I started eating the "Zone Diet" way by Dr. Barry Sears. I really don't see it as a diet but rather a way of eating. Pounds started dropping off also easily for a change and have kept off one year later. Something to look into...... and yes, I occasionally eat flaxseed that I grind as needed in a coffee grinder, I put it in my milk shakes.