Is flaxseed bad for BC survivors?

To your question, "Is flaxseed bad for BC survivors?", the answer appears to be NO.

Unfortunately there isn't a lot of reseach on either soy or flaxseed, both of which are natural estrogens.  However to-date the research that is available is mixed on soy and as a result most doctors recommend that women who've had ER+ breast cancer avoid heavy soy consumption.  On the other hand, all of the evidence to-date on flaxseed has been positive, showing flaxseed to be effective both from a prevention and treatment standpoint. 

Did you read something that said that flaxseed is dangerous for BC patients or are you just concerned because it is a natural estrogen?

http://www.flaxhealth.com/breastcancerupdate.htm

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Flaxseed.asp?sitearea=ETO

http://www.cancerrd.com/FAQs/FAQ33.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed

I use a multitude of cancer fighting things- dandelion root powder from the farm of Harvesthaven.com 43 nutrients in that root- more then any plant source on earth to build up your blood and keep cancer away. Red-clover flower whole tops- creates a tea- preventative cancer from "bulk herb company"

Zeolite, essiac tea. protocel,carrot juice. red beet juice,

low acidic diet- they say cancer can not thrive in a alkaline body- lookup acidic foods

nor can cancer thrive in a oxygen rich body - I take Oxygen elements Max from " Global Health Trax"

I have a nutrition doctor Dr Pirvatera- all natural supplements and minerals and more cancer fighting stuff- one is " Immune option" powder mix- i put in smoothies ...I also take liquid minerals and vitamins from "New Vision" and the highest Orac level you can get in ViaViente! google it

- no caffine- soda- processed sugar or food no red meat and little of others . Organic foods and i jut got a power juicer! Purity products makes the " rainbow package" purples, reds, greens and oranges..I like to blend it! No milk- I drink "AlmondBreeze" Vanilla , plain or chocolate..it is so good with cereal!

Carob instead of chocolate- wheat grass barely grass

 All is worth a try- also at cancertruth.net or in the book " Cancer step outside the box " gives 8 good things to do to stop prevent cancer- worth a try.

God Bless you!

i have more info if you want it!

 I choose NOT to eat flaxseeds. I love the Almond milk too, and my 3 year old drinks it with me. Still trying to get the hubby.

LIZA, I have read on the internet about low acidic diets and I think I follow it well. I also juice daily, beets,carrots,celery,lemon and a big hunk of ginger. I'm actually making ginger infused tea this morning. My question, do you know of any books on LowAcidic / Glycemic Diets?

Hi Ladies: 

There has been a great deal of research done on flaxseed and, by and large, the studies show that it reduces blood cholesterol, aids diabetics through its ability to reduce the rate at which glucose is absorbed from food, and its lignans, which bear a resemblance to estrogen, fit into estrogen receptors on cells and thus block estrogen from stimulating cellular activity.  And besides that, the fibre in flaxseed keeps things flowing smoothly through the digestive system.

Oncologists just don't know too much about the nutritive value of most foods -- they don't learn about it in medical school, and they're too busy to keep up with all the research. 

I take a tbsp of ground flaxseed each morning in my fruit smoothie, because I have cholesterol concerns, I was pre-diabetic, and I don't want my estrogen-pos bc to return.  And the bonus is that I'm never constipated, and I do have lots of energy.  This is just my story, but before eliminating flax, please do some more research, from well-regarded sources.  I think you'll find your concerns about flaxseed are largely unwarranted.

Linda

Lindasa:  Any chance you can send a link or citation for the article that said flaxseed and its lignans fit into estrogen receptors on cells and thus block estrogen from stimulating cellular activity.

I would love to read that - I have been putting flaxseed into everything and then looked up phytoestrogen foods and was shocked to see how high it was - way higher than soy. I know the lignans play into this is a positive way, but just don't understand all of this and don't know where to find someone who does. 

here's another link about the benefits of flax re: cancer:

 http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/what-is-flax.htm

 my med onc has me taking 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax meal and 1 heaping tablespoon of flax oil every day in my protein smoothie.

as with lisasayers' onc, mine said no multivitamins during chemo, but i can take B complex, fish oil, and calcium/Vit D.

re: soy - i was told that because i'm triple negative, i can have soy, but those who are ER+, PR+ should avoid soy. here's a link for that info:

 http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/soy-and-hormone-related-cancers.htm

ptgen:  The quote is from the book "An Apple A Day", by Joe Schwarcz, PhD.  He is Director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society in Montreal.  Winner of the Royal Society's McNeil Award and the only non-American to win the American Chemical Society's prestigious Grady-Stack Award.  His creds are excellent!  and his book is really interesting.  Published by Harper Perrenial.  I got my copy on-line.

Allie:  Oncologists really don't know much about nutrition, so it pays to do a lot of research (and stay away from websites that exist primarily to sell you product!).

Hi Ladies,

 Interesting and also confusing subject. I have also been trying to find a good mix of things to take to help prevent breast cancer.

I found some interesting information in Dr. Christiane Northrup's book "The Wisdom of Menopause." She addresses both soy and flaxseed issues. I am taking a soy product she recommended that is actually used in studies at Johns Hopkins Univ. and the soy shakes are available in the lobby for BC patients. On page 452 she sites why soy (the right kind) is safe for breast tissue.

It is confusing because every study seems to differ in their outcome. I will say that my husband has been eating this soy product as well and his PSA has gone down 2 years in a row. The soy is the only thing different in his diet so for now I am reservidly giving that the credit for the decrease. His family has a high risk of prostate cancer.  

She mentions that ground flaxseed has a lot of benefits and her reasons are too extensive to go into here, but it made sense to me. I guess we each have to do our research and then decide what seems reasonable to us. I think today more than ever we need to be well informed and stewards of our own health care.

Just my 2 cents worth. Thanks for all the great info and links ladies!

Candi

Why I would not want to eat soy.  They did a research project on mice/rats.  At first the soy fed mice had a reduction in tumor size when fed soy.  Looked great...end of project.   But another researcher did the same project but let it run longer.  The soy fed mice in his research had the same results, tumor went down in size but then,  because the project lasted longer, the tumor game back with a vengeance and grew larger.  Long term use of soy could be detrimental to our health.

DO NOT GO TO THE WEBSITE LISTED BY lina85.  IT IS SPAM. 

We've had a number of newly registered members over the past few days who are sending women to these same spam websites.  The websites are useless - just a list of other websites - and the sole purpose is to get us there so that we can be sent cookies and so that "lina" (whoever he really is) gets paid for each "click" on the site. 

...and that is why I am going to keep eating the way I've been eating for the past 51 years! As someone said on another thread, it would be like closing the barn door after the horses are out to make drastic dietary changes now that our bodies have already produced cancer. It took 50 years to get the cancer in the first place...

Thanks for the interesting link, I just spent a week at a caregivers course and the teacher (who knew everything) was really promoting flaxseed big time, I am a 19 year survivor and it scares me what we can take thinking it will be good for us, and in fact it may not be, to all those who have an onc, discuss it with your onc first, I found that my onc was open to me trying things as long as I passed it by him first, he was the one to say no to a couple of things that I may of taken thinking it would be good for me, and in fact would of been the opposite, great post made interesting reading, thanks bad

Hello

I'd like to add a comment, although I'm a bit late to the party.

I had a different type of cancer (gyne) but was advised not to take flaxseed from a flaxseed researcher--not a physician. To my question, he said "I wouldn't advise it based on what we know, and don't know, now."

And another caution. I would take with a grain of salt in most cases, and complete dismissal in others, the word about any treatment or program from a physician who works in research at a university or lab that takes industry funding for its research, such as McGill in Ontario. They are in conflict of interest, and their "interest" will always be their source of income, their careers, not healthcare. If they refused to research any drug or told about the adverse effects of any treatment (which skewed risk/benefit to risk) they would lose their funding. Don't beleive me? Google Nancy Oliveri, whose experience with a drug company that sponsored her research was the jumping off point for the book and movie The Constant Gardener. 

Helen, we do each have to decide for ourselves what foods to avoid.  But I'm refusing to get my knickers in a knot over flax.  I didn't consume it before bc, and it has so many other health benefits that I'm not concerned about it causing a recurrence.  It's keeping my digestive system operating extremely well, and I believe the omega- fatty acids are good for the rest of me!

Chia seeds -- same as those used to grow your own chia pet???   Must look it up.