Monday, January 5, 2015

Flax Seed Consumption and Prostate Cancer

In the February 2014 Natural Medicine Journal Special Oncology supplement, author Tina Kaczor discusses a study that looked at men with prostate cancer and flaxseed consumption.  Within the study, some of the men didn't consume flax seeds.  The group who did consume flax seeds (30 g or 1/4 cup per day) though had a significantly lower proliferative index/ki-67 level (which indicates less tumour growth).  Previous studies suggest that compounds in flax seeds can increase apoptosis/death of cancer cells and reduce the activity of insulin-like growth receptors which also results in an anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells.  Even though the exact mechanism through which flax seed consumption can positively influence prostate cancer isn't clear, this study points to flax seeds being a supportive part of the diet for men dealing with prostate cancer.

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