Flax seeds for Prostate Cancer
Flax seeds have something called phytoestrogen which is somewhat similar to our own estrogen. Estrogen is a hormone in the human body. The idea that flax seed can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer stems from the fact that prostate cancer is a hormone related disease. This theory has been difficult to prove since most of the Western countries do not consume foods that are rich in phytoestrogen (like soya). In Asian countries, however, people do consume phytoestrogen rich foods and a study showed that Asians have a lower risk of prostate cancer compared to their Western counterparts. Flax seeds decrease the PSA levels in the body, thereby reducing the aggravation of the tumors.
Research
Research has proved that people who consume higher levels of lignans witness low rates of prostate cancer, by which lignans slows down the growth of prostate cancer cells. Flax seeds contain up to 800 times more lignans than any other food in the world. A research was conducted where a bunch of men who were suffering from prostate cancer experimented. They all were put on a low-fat diet with 3 tbsp a day of ground flax seeds. Just within a span of 1 month, scientists found noticeable lower rates in cancer proliferation, and a higher level of the death of cancer cells.
A study in 2013 followed 147 men who regularly had traces of flaxseed in their urine (an indication of digestion of flaxseed). They found that all these 147 men had a lower proliferation of tumor. Proliferation means how fast the tumor spreads. Lower the proliferation, the better.
There has been no concrete evidence of flax seeds reducing the risk of prostate cancer. But flax seeds are beneficial for people who already have prostate cancer.
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