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Cancer & Nutrition - Flaxseed

Flaxseed, also known as linseed, is a nutritious seed found in the flax plant. While flax has historically been cultivated mainly for the fibrous leaves that are used in making linen, the seeds and oil that can be made from the seeds has become popular in supplements in recent years for several reasons.

Flaxseed and products made fromt his seed have been promoted as healthy supplements since the 1950s, but only recently has new evidence regarding the exact nature of the protective substances in flaxseed been discovered. Some studies indicate that flaxseed can help protect against some types of cancer. For example, flaxseed supplements, when taken in conjunction with an overall low-fat diet, may provide positive results in the early stages of prostate cancer.

What Makes Flaxseed a Healthy Supplement?

Flaxseed contains a number of compounds that are believed to be of use in fighting cancer and other diseases, including the following:

Alpha-linolenic acid: Is an omega-3 fatty acid, one of the "good fats" believed to help protect the body against heart disease by lowering cholesterol. There is some evidence to indicate that omega-3 fatty acids in general can also help protect the body against some types of cancer, and can help reduce the growth rate of certain cancers.

Lignans: These substances may have a role in preventing 'estrogen-dependent' cancers such as breast cancer. Lignans are also thought to be antioxidants (the free radical-fighting substances found in many fruits and vegetables).

What is the Evidence that Flaxseed can Fight Cancer?

The potential anti-cancer properties of flaxseed were first noted in the 1950s, when German biochemist Johanna Budwig developed a new diet for cancer patients. In addition to flaxseed, Budwig's diet included plenty of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and dairy products, and avoided animal fats, sugar, meats, and fats. According to Johanna Budwig's claims, all patients had improved in general health, and many had experienced tumor shrinkage or disappearance within three months after beginning the diet.

Most of the evidence regarding the ability of flaxseed to fight cancer has been obtained via laboratory research, as well as some small patient trials.

• Laboratory-grown breast cancer cells that are treated with flaxseed lignans become less 'sticky' and mobile. This 'stickiness' is an important property of cancer cells that allow them to metastasize and spread within the body. If flaxseed lignans can reduce stickiness of cancer cells in the laboratory, this might explain the evidence that suggests flaxseed can help prevent breast cancer.
• Other laboratory studies have involved adding flaxseed supplements to the diets of rats with skin, breast, or prostate cancer. In some rats, flaxseed supplements have been able to reduce the rate of growth and spread of these cancers.
• At least two small studies have indicated that flaxseed, along with a low-fat diet, may help slow the growth rate of both benign and malignant prostate tumors. In one study of 25 men, this diet increased the death rate of cancer cells as well as slowing the rate of growth of new cells.

While these types of results do strongly suggest a role for flaxseed in preventing and fighting certain types of cancers, these results can not be considered hard proof by any means - more animal studies and many more human trials must be conducted before enough evidence can be gathered.

How to Get More Flaxseed in Your Diet

Some manufacturers of products such as breads, baked goods, cereals, breakfast bars, and other such items have starting producing new versions with added flaxseed. Choosing these products makes it fairly simple to get more flaxseed in your diet.

If you want great control over the amount of flaxseed you ingest, consider purchasing whole flaxseeds, ground flaxseeds, or flaxseed oil. Toasted flaxseeds can be used in a wide variety of ways, such as sprinkled over cereal, yogurt and salads, added to bread dough, or added to cooked grains such as rice, couscous, or bulgur wheat. Flaxseed meal (made from the ground seeds) can be used in similar ways. Flaxseed oil can be purchased in capsules, or purchased in liquid form and added to foods.

Taking Flaxseed Supplements Safely

For most people, there is absolutely no health risk involved in taking flaxseed. You may experience some unpleasant side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, or excess gas when you first start using this supplement, but these effects normally subside after a couple of weeks.

However, a small number of people may be allergic to flaxseed, and if you are taking any other medications (even herbal supplements or vitamins), it's important to talk with your doctor before taking flaxseed supplements. Some people should not use flaxseed - generally those with inflammatory diseases or other digestive problems. If you are diabetic your doctor may recommend to not use flaxseed.

Flaxseed supplements may also interfere with proper absorption of other medications. If you are taking flaxseed supplements, your doctor may recommend that you take other medications a couple of hours before or after taking flaxseed.

Sources:

1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/97183/Flaxseed-Lignans-and-Inhibiting-Cancer
2. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Flaxseed.asp
3. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

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