Flaxseed - a powerful food against cancer

Flaxseed is one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There is some evidence that it may help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes..

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Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its primary healthy reputation to three of them:

·        Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.

 

·        Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

 

·        Fiber - flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types. 

 

The health benefits of flaxseed include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) levels. It also helps lowering blood triglyceride and blood pressure and keeps platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.

 

In addition, lignan metabolites can bind to estrogen receptors. This may help the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer. At least two of the components in flaxseed seem to contribute to this, says Kelley C. Fitzpatrick, director of health and nutrition with the Flax Council of Canada. 

 

In animal studies, the plant omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseed, called ALA, inhibited tumor incidence and growth.

 

Also, the lignans in flaxseed may provide some protection against cancers that are sensitive to hormones without interfering with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Lilian Thompson, an internationally known flaxseed researcher from the University of Toronto, says some studies have suggested that exposure to lignans during adolescence helps reduce the risk of breast cancer and may also increase the survival of breast cancer patients.

 

Lignans may help protect against cancer by blocking enzymes that are involved in hormone metabolism and interfering with the growth and spread of tumor cells.

 

Some of the other components in flaxseed also have antioxidant properties, which may contribute to protection against cancer and heart disease.