Please be careful. the Omega 3 fatty acid in flax seed oil (ALA) has been linked by some to increase risk of prostate cancer if consumed in high doses. perhaps Joe or Terry could shed light on that and what dose is “too much”.
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THERE HAS BEEN CONCERN ABOUT THIS, AND IT DOESN’T SEEM TO HAVE BEEN SETTLED. THE MOST ACTIVE RESEARCH GROUP HAS FOUND BENEFIT RATHER THAN RISK, THOUGH. HERE IS THEIR MOST RECENT PUBLICATION:
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Dec;17(12):3577-87.Flaxseed supplementation (not dietary fat restriction) reduces prostate cancer proliferation rates in men presurgery.Demark-Wahnefried W, Polascik TJ, George SL, Switzer BR, Madden JF, Ruffin MT 4th, Snyder DC, Owzar K, Hars V, Albala DM, Walther PJ, Robertson CN, Moul JW, Dunn BK, Brenner D, Minasian L, Stella P, Vollmer RT.
Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 301439, Unit 1330, Houston, TX 77230-1439, USA. : Prostate cancer affects one of six men during their lifetime. Dietary factors are postulated to influence the development and progression of prostate cancer. Low-fat diets and flaxseed supplementation may offer potentially protective strategies.
METHODS: We undertook a multisite, randomized controlled trial to test the effects of low-fat and/or flaxseed-supplemented diets on the biology of the prostate and other biomarkers. Prostate cancer patients (n = 161) scheduled at least 21 days before prostatectomy were randomly assigned to one of the following arms: (a) control (usual diet), (b) flaxseed-supplemented diet (30 g/d), (c) low-fat diet (
RESULTS: Men were on protocol an average of 30 days. Proliferation rates were significantly lower (P
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that flaxseed is safe and associated with biological alterations that may be protective for prostate cancer. Data also further support low-fat diets to manage serum cholesterol.