Could Flaxseed Protect Against Cancer?
A presentation at the recent annual meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) suggested that ground flaxseed may provide a protective effect against breast cancer. An earlier study suggested that flaxseed may have a benefit against prostate cancer as well.
Dr. Joanne Slavin of the University of Minnesota told attendees at the ACS meeting that flaxseed is rich in phytoestrogens, which act to lower the levels of circulating estrogens. Estrogen has been linked to a greater risk of breast cancer. Specifically, it appears that flaxseed is rich in lignan, a phytoestrogen that is thought to directly limit estrogen production.
Slavin's team tracked the levels of two estrogens-estrone sulfate and estradiol-in a group of 28 postmenopausal women, half of whom were given flaxseed supplements. Over the course of a year, the researchers noted significant reductions in estrogen levels for the women who had flaxseed added to their diets.
Slavin cautioned that their findings will need to be duplicated in a larger cohort of women, but she predicted that flaxseed may soon join soy as a popular source of cancer-fighting phytoestrogens.
Prostate Cancer Benefits
Similarly, researchers have also suggested that flaxseed may have preventive effects against prostate cancer. Writing in the journal Urology, a team of researchers led by Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried of Duke University Medical Center found that flaxseed, combined with a low-fat diet, may slow the growth of prostate tumors.
The researchers followed a group of 25 prostate cancer patients who added about 3 heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed each day to juice, yogurt or other low-fat foods. They noticed significantly slower tumor growth and a greater rate of tumor cell death than a control group that did not consume flaxseed.
Demark-Wahnefried also noted the high lignan content of flaxseed, which she suggested may bind to testosterone and possibly help remove it from the body. This could, in turn, help suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells, she said.
SOURCE:
The American Chemical Society (http://www.acs.org), Urology, July 2001