Dear Pharmacist: Flaxseed protects against breast and prostate cancer

Dear Pharmacist:

My older sister had a mastectomy earlier this year. I understand that breast cancer runs in families, so now I'm scared to death so I'm getting tests done myself. Can you offer advice from your natural perspective? R.Y., Seattle

Let me say upfront that an anti-cancer lifestyle - and there is such a thing - is also an anti-breast-cancer lifestyle. It includes eating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, less meat, less processed food (way less!), no smoking, losing weight and exercising. There are many things one can do to erect a powerful protective barrier. At or near the top of my supplement list is flaxseed.

Besides serving as a great source of detoxifying fiber and essential fatty acids, flaxseeds contain a whopping portion of "lignans," a plant chemical that your body converts to a hormonelike compound that resembles estrogen (termed phytoestrogens). Many studies show that people who eat a lignan-rich diet have a lower incidence of breast, colon and prostate cancer. Phytoestrogens fit nicely into your cells' estrogen-receptor sites, thereby preventing dangerous estrogens from causing problems like breast cancer. This is a much simplified explanation, but you get the idea. Ground flaxseeds provide hundreds of times more lignans than any other plant.

Flaxseeds pack such an anti-cancer punch that they may benefit women with active breast cancer. One randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study (that's the most rigorous kind of scientific study) found positive results in postmenopausal women who had breast cancer. Participants had to eat muffins that were baked either with flaxseeds or without (placebo). The cancer cells stopped growing aggressively in the group of women who ate muffins containing flaxseed, and some of the cancer cells even died (apoptosis). Of course, I'm not advocating flaxseeds as the cure for breast cancer, but it's clear that flax can zap cancer cells to some extent.

You can buy the fresh seeds at health food stores and even some grocery stores. Grind up one tablespoon daily and sprinkle it on salads or greens, or into your fruit smoothie. Do bother to grind them up. Don't try to save time by swallowing a mouthful of seeds because you'll chew for an hour! I use both the seeds and flaxseed oil several times a week, but I prefer the ground seeds because of the higher lignan content and fiber.

Did You Know?

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This information is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure your disease. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist. To ask her a question or to learn more about your health, visit DearPharmacist.com.