Flaxseed Slows Down Prostate Cancers

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Flaxseed may be the newest weapon in the war against prostate cancer.

According to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health, men who received flaxseed supplements prior to undergoing surgery for prostate cancer had slower growing tumors than men who didn’t receive the supplements.

The research involved three groups of about 40 men each. The first group took 30 grams of flaxseed a day for 30 days prior to their surgery. The flaxseed was ground up into a powder form and sprinkled on food or in drinks. The second group took the supplement and also followed a low fat diet. The third group didn’t receive the supplement and followed their normal diet.

All of the tumors were assessed for rate of growth after they were removed. Both groups receiving the supplements had slower growing tumors, suggesting diet had nothing to do with the effect.

“We are excited that this study showed that flaxseed is safe and associated with a protective effect on prostate cancer,” study author Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Ph.D., a researcher in the Duke University School of Nursing, was quoted as saying.

Now the investigators plan more studies to see if flaxseed supplements can help prevent prostate cancer recurrence or even reduce prostate cancer risk among healthy men without the condition.

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SOURCE: Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting in Chicago, June 1-5, 2007