Seed of Hope
Seed of Hope
If you know someone with prostate cancer, this is an e-Alert you MUST share with him. It just might make a big difference in his chance of survival.
Diet delirium
If you were reading the e-Alert about six years ago, you might have come across this important information: “A new study shows that limiting dietary fat to 20 percent of calories and eating three heaping tablespoons of whole flaxseed every day can significantly slow down prostate cancer growth.”
Of course, that was back in the day when low-fat mania gripped the attention of mainstream nutritionists.
So what if the low-fat element were removed from that equation? Would flaxseed still provide a key defense against prostate cancer prevention? A new study from Duke University Medical Center answers that question – with very promising results.
Researchers recruited about 160 men with prostate cancer who were scheduled to have their prostate glands removed. The men were divided into four groups to follow these regimens for 30 days:
- 30 grams of ground flaxseed daily, combined with a normal diet
- 30 grams of ground flaxseed daily, combined with a low-fat diet
- No flaxseed, normal diet
- No flaxseed, low-fat diet
After the surgeries, researchers examined tumor cells from each subject. Results showed that flaxseed intervention dramatically slowed tumor growth – by as much as 30 to 40 percent – regardless of which diet was followed.
The study’s lead investigator, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Ph.D., told Dukemed News that the omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed may modify the way that cancer cells lump together or attach to healthy cells. She also noted that the lignans in the outer shell of flaxseed might help cut the blood supply to cancer cells.
As I’ve mentioned in previous e-Alerts, lignans are believed to help remove testosterone from the body, which may assist in suppressing prostate cancer cell growth.
Dr. Demark-Wahnefried and her team plan to continue their research with a trial to test the effects of flaxseed on recurrent prostate cancer.
Extra protection
The Duke study underlines the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in defense against prostate cancer.
In the e-Alert “Secret in the Seed” (8/23/04), I told you about a National Cancer Institute study in which researchers examined 14 years of dietary and medical records for more than 47,000 middle-aged and older men. Results showed that high intake of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids was associated with reduced prostate cancer risk, while advanced prostate cancer risk was more than 25 percent lower among men with the highest intake.
In addition to omega-3 fatty acids, men with an elevated risk of prostate cancer might get additional protection from an herbal formula called Zyflamend. The formula contains several herbs used for centuries as anti-inflammatories, including turmeric, green tea polyphenols, and ginger. These herbs are natural COX-2 inhibitors. COX-2, of course, is the enzyme-protein complex that prompts inflammation that causes arthritis pain and is believed to play a role in the growth of several types of cancer.
You can read more about Zyflamend in the e-Alert “Herbal Cooling” (11/22/05), at this link: http://www.hsionline.com/ealerts/ea200511/ea20051122.html
Men should talk to their doctors before beginning a daily regimen of either flaxseed or Zyflamend.
Sources:
“Flaxseed Stunts the Growth of Prostate Tumors” Dukemed News, Duke University Medical Center, 6/2/07, dukemednews.org
“Medication Errors Common in U.S. Kids with Cancer” Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters Health, 5/25/07, reutershealth.com
