The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7163 p281-283
1 September 2001

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Flaxseed protects against postmenopausal breast cancer

Eating flaxseed could protect postmenopausal women against breast cancer, say researchers from the United States.

Professor Joanne Slavin, department of food science and nutrition, University of Minnesota, and colleagues found that levels of estrone and estradiol decreased in 28 postmenopausal women who were given 5 or 10g flaxseed daily for seven week cycles over a period of one year.

Raised levels of estrone and estradiol can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, they say. The mechanism of the protective effect of flaxseed is not known but could be related to its lignan content. Lignan is a type of plant hormone that is structurally similar to oestrogen and which might lower oestrogen levels by inhibiting enzymes involved in oestrogen synthesis (PJ, 3 March, p287). However, other components of flaxseed, such as omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fibre might also contribute to the protective effect, the researchers say.

The findings were presented at the 22nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago on 29 August.

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