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A muffin
a day - with 50 grams of ground flaxseed - could keep breast
cancer at bay, according to a new Canadian study. The
researchers found there was a "slowing down in tumor growth" in
breast cancer patients fed flaxseed muffins.
"Our results are very exciting because this is the first time
anyone has demonstrated these changes in breast cancer with any
dietary component," said Dr. . Paul Goss, director of the breast
cancer prevention program at Princess Margaret Hospital and the
Toronto Hospital.
Earlier animal studies have shown that flax has anti-cancer
properties, but the researchers were surprised by how potent the
effect appears to be in people. "It encourages us to believe
this is a very significant biological effect in women and we are
heading towards more definitive proof that dietary flax seed may
prevent breast cancer," Goss said.
Goss presented his research team's finding in January at an
international breast cancer conference in San Antonio, Texas The
study involved 50 women who had been recently diagnosed with
breast cancer. While waiting for their surgery, the women were
divided into two groups. One group received a daily muffin
containing 50 grams of ground flax seed, about 30 milliliters
(two tablespoons). The others were prescribed ordinary muffins.
When their tumors were removed - usually within 40 days of
diagnosis - the researchers examined them for signs of how fast
the cancer cells had been growing. It turned out that the women
receiving the flaxseed muffins had slower-growing tumors than
the others.
Other Recent Work
This study supports the recent work of French researchers who
have similarly found that low levels of the omega-3 essential
fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, (of which flax is the richest
source) predicts increased risk of breast cancer. The French
study was published in the February 2000 issue of the European
Journal of Cancer.
This case-control study conducted in France was designed to
explore whether alpha-linolenic acid inhibits breast cancer,
using fatty acid levels in adipose breast tissue as a biomarker
of it's intake. Biopsies of adipose breast tissue at the time of
diagnosis were obtained from 123 women with invasive non-metastatic
breast carcinoma, while 59 women with benign breast disease
served as controls. No association was found between fatty acids
in general and the disease, except for alpha- linolenic acid.
Women with the highest levels of alpha-linolenic acid
experienced a 74 percent reduced risk for breast cancer,
compared with those women with the lowest intake, thus, say the
researchers, "suggesting a protective effect of alpha-linolenic
acid in the risk of breast cancer."
Additional research from the Department of Nutritional
Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, right here
in Canada confirms the amazingly potent benefits of flax
constituents, especially the prized lignans found in flax seed
when it comes to breast cancer prevention. Very often, breast
tumors are the result of both environmental and intrinsic inner
factors, that is, an environmental contaminant can initiate
cancer processes or promote future cancers by damaging cells so
they become susceptible to cancers. The researchers investigated
whether even higher dietary amounts of flax or its lignan
constituents could reduce induced breast tumors. They determined
that flax's lignans were the most potent constituents of flax
for reducing tumor size and number.
Natural Estrogen Buffer
The power of flax to reduce breast cancer risk and risk of
it's spreading, lies in it's lignan and alpha-linolenic acid
(Omega 3 essential fatty acid) contents. Plant lignans are
nature's natural estrogen buffers. They appear to reduce the
most potent toxic effects of some forms of estrogen. In the
industrialized nations, lignan levels in women's bodies are
generally very low, yet women's bodies have evolved over
millions of years in such a way that they require this buffering
effect.
"I've been recommending flax seeds ... for years," says
Christiane Northrup, , M. D. , one of America's leading experts
on women's health. "Flax seed is the highest known source of
anti-cancer and phytoestrogenic compounds known as lignans - a
concentration more than 100 times greater than other lignan-containing
foods such as grains, fruits, and vegetables." MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax
contains 14% more lignans than flax. Lignans are plant
substances that get broken down by intestinal bacteria into two
main mammalian lignans - enterodiol and enteolactone. These
lignans then circulate through the liver and are later excreted
in the urine. There are a number of reasons why we all should be
interested in incorporating more lignans into our diet. The
following are two of the most compelling:
1) Lignans have potent anti--cancer effects. An impressive
number of studies have shown that flax seed lignans are very
potent anti-cancer agents for both breast and colon cancer
because of their ability to modulate the production,
availability, and action of hormones produced in our bodies.
2) Lignans are potent phytoestrogens. In women who consume
flax seed oil, studies have shown significant hormonal changes
and decreased estradiol levels - alterations similar to those
seen with soy isoflavones. This makes flax seed oil or meal a
great choice for women who can't use soy or who simply want
another source of phytohormones."
The role of alpha-linolenic acid in breast cancer prevention and
reduced risk of it's spread may be due to its potent
membrane-stabilizing effects, it's ability to act as an anti-
inflammatory and it's ability to normalize the body's production
of specific cancer-promoting prostaglandins.
Recommendations
Use the richest source of lignans
and alpha-linolenic acid, MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax
each day. Add it to your baking, sprinkle it in cereal, put it in salads, yogurt, power
drinks, or anywhere you can think of.
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