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Prostate Cancer

Read on for detailed information about how various oils may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Flaxseed
Vegetarians have been found to have substantially higher urinary lignan excretion (reflective of increased circulating levels of enterodiol and enterolactone) as well as a lower incidence of prostate cancer. Since normal prostate fluid has been shown to contain significant concentrations of these compounds, it is suggested that lignans derived from flaxseed can find their way to the source of potential prostate cancer development, where they may play a role in controlling cancer growth (1).

There is limited, although potentially supportive, research in this area. In one study involving mice with prostate cancer, mice who consumed flaxseeds had a significant reduction in prostate tumor mass and tumor growth as compared to those mice who did not consume flaxseeds (2). In one clinical trial (3), newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients awaiting prostatectomy (surgery to remove their prostate gland) who consumed 30 grams of ground flaxseed per day were found to have reductions in serum testosterone and free androgens, steroid hormones that are usually associated with development and growth of prostate tumors. When their prostate tumors were examined, it was found that those patients who had been supplemented with flaxseeds had a significant reduction in cancer cell growth compared with those who did not consume flaxseeds.

The information presented here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as curative or prescriptive advice.

Bibliography
1. Denis L, Morton MS, Griffiths K. Diet and its preventive role in prostatic disease. Eur Urol 1999;35(5-6):377-87.
2. Lin X, Gingrich JR, Bao W, Li J, Haroon ZA, Demark-Wahnefried W. Effect of flaxseed supplementation on prostatic carcinoma in transgenic mice. Urology 2002;60(5):919-24.
3. Demark-Wahnefried W, Price DT, Polascik TJ, Robertson CN, Anderson EE., Paulson DF et al. Pilot study of dietary fat restriction and flaxseed supplementation in men with prostate cancer before surgery: exploring the effects on hormonal levels, prostate-specific antigen, and histopathologic features. Urology 2001;58(1):47-52.

 
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