Protection from radiation exposure is brilliantly simple

Imagine a drug that protects you from radiation damage. That would be a true wonder drug! In fact, it would revolutionize radiation therapy for cancer.

Now let’s say the drug is inexpensive. And best of all, it has no side effects. None. In fact, when you take this drug, it provides additional health benefits.

Believe it or not, that’s exactly the treatment a University of Pennsylvania team developed. Only it’s not a drug. It’s flaxseed.

The researchers gave flaxseed to mice. Some got it before radiation exposure. Some got it after. Regardless, twice as many of the mice survived compared to mice that didn’t get flaxseed.

But the results went far beyond survival.

Flaxseed-fed mice had higher body weight and less lung inflammation.

And in case you missed this remarkable point: these benefits occurred even in mice given flaxseed AFTER radiation exposure.

Researchers typically caution that animal studies are too preliminary to recommend promising treatments. But in this case, the authors say they’ve actually incorporated flaxseed into their own diets. And why not? Flaxseed is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. And, as a side effect, it might protect you from radiation.

Imagine that…

Sources:
“Dietary flaxseed prevents radiation-induced oxidative lung damage, inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of thoracic radiation injury” Cancer Biology & Therapy, Vol. 8, No. 1, landesbioscience.com