Is flaxseed bad for BC survivors?

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  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited September 2009

    Linda, I agree with you about not getting knickers in a knot and flax has many health benefits.

    I did not consume flax before my first bc (TN). In my attempt to stay healthy I started adding 2 tsp of ground flax to my oatmeal evey day .... 3 years later I had s second bc - this time ES+/PR+ even though I had had my ovaries removed.......I'm not suggesting a cause and effect but for me the routine didn't work well.

    Chia contains most of the same health benefits as flax. Can be found in any health food store.

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  • Annabella58
    Annabella58 Member Posts: 2,466
    edited September 2009

    as stated, wouldn't get my knickers in a knot.  That said, my onc. said to stay away from that specifically, as too high in phytoestrogens for hormone ER+ gals.

    If you google foods high in phytoestrogens, a list will show that will let you know what is good to steer clear of.  Everything has them, but some foods (soy, flax, etc) are extremely high and they now want us to avoid these.

    Hope this helps!

    xoxo

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  • crazy4carrots
    crazy4carrots Member Posts: 5,324
    edited September 2009

    I've been reading about chia.  Haven't discovered yet why it, unlike many other grains, contains no phytoestrogens.  However, will continue to research it.

    A question for Helen:  Do you make the gel and then add to whatever you're going to eat?  For example, I make a fruit smoothie every morning.  How much gel would (should) I add?

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  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited September 2009

    Linda, I don't make a gel. I just scoop a spoonful into my oatmeal. I assume you could just scoop it into your smootie. The brand I bought was already ground and it was organic. However, I heard at a workshop last week that some people were making a gel. Unfortunately, I'm not an expert so I don't know how they were using the gel. I want to start making smoothies as well ... what do you put in yours?

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  • crazy4carrots
    crazy4carrots Member Posts: 5,324
    edited September 2009

    My smoothie recipe!

    1/4 cup blueberries (I bought 50 pints this summer and froze them)

    1/4 cup strawberries (I bought several pints, threw them into the food processor, and froze that in ice cube trays so the equivalent would be 1 cube)

    1 banana

    1/2 cup fat-free yogurt (I use Activia with pro-biotics)

    1 cup 1% milk (or skim)

    1 tbsp ground flax

     dash of cinnamon (apparently it helps mitigate the insulin "rush" produced by the fructose)

    If you don't use dairy, substitute with water or rice milk.  I have this every morning except Sunday, when I break out the bacon and egg!

    Re the gel:  I just went on the internet and discovered that a good way of adding chia seeds to baking, smoothies etc. was to soak them in water (I can't remember the proportions, sorry!).  This makes a gel (like agar) and that's what you add to whatever it is you're making.

    I'll get back to you with the proportions.

    Guess I AM getting my knickers in a knot after all!!!Tongue out

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  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited September 2009
    Linda, thanks for the recipe. I will try it. ........please don't get your "knickers in a knot" Right now this - flax + soy - are the big unanswered questions in relation to ER+/PR+ breast cancer. No one knows the answer. Undecided  But I'm glad you are sharing what you are learning so the rest of us will learn as well.
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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited October 2009

    hello,

    I was also interested in chia, regarding estrogen this is what I found on the web:

    Chia seeds also contain boron, which is needed for healthy bones, and calcium absorption. Our nations soil is depleted in boron, we are not getting enough in our diets and this contributes to the high rate of osteoporosis. Boron has also been found to naturally increase levels of estrogen.

    I surely hope not but now I am worried as I also avoid flax for that reason. Here is the link: 

    http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:zDt1jJHBVY4J:www.greenourkids.com/natural-living/health/chia-seeds-a-nutritious-addition-to-your-childrens-diet/+chia+estrogenic&cd=18&hl=en&ct=clnk 

    Anyone ever hear about this,thanks for any replys

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  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited October 2009

    Welga, This is the first I have heard that chia contributes to increasing levels of estrogen but I am new to all of this. I did ask a holistic nutritionist and she had said that chia was ok.........but who knows????? I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this.

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  • Welga
    Welga Member Posts: 308
    edited October 2009

    hrf,

    yes, I will also wait and see if someone replys, I've looked a bit on the board and did not find the answer, so much stuff to look out, makes me mad soometimes. All we find on the net is also not always reliable so hard to make a decision. 

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  • ptjen
    ptjen Member Posts: 52
    edited January 2010

    I've been off this board for some time and found the discussion about soy still going on so I'm posting an article that you might find helpful.  The original articles is in the 12/9/09 issue of JAMA.  The essence of the research is (as I understand it) that women who eat soy the way women in Asia do (i.e. whole and/or fermented soy) show a benefit - including women who are ER+. I've been avoiding soy and flax religiously but have decided to incorporate it into my diet carefully.  So far, tofu, miso, fermented soy sauce. my oncologist (who originally said stay away, now says ok, moderately. Anyway, if you have access to JAMA, check out the original article. 

    http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/559255/?sc=mwhn Women With Breast Cancer Who Consume Soy Food Have Lower Risk of Cancer Recurrence Source: American Medical Association (AMA) Newswise - Although there is a concern regarding the safety of soy food consumption among breast cancer survivors, researchers have found that women in China who had breast cancer and a higher intake of soy food had an associated lower risk of death and breast cancer recurrence, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA. "Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the estrogen-like effect of isoflavones and the potential interaction between isoflavones and tamoxifen have led to concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer patients," the authors write. Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues examined the association between soy isoflavone intake with breast cancer recurrence and survival. The researchers analyzed data from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a large, population-based study of 5,042 female breast cancer survivors in China. Women ages 20 to 75 years with diagnoses of breast cancer between March 2002 and April 2006 were recruited and followed up through June 2009. Information on cancer diagnosis and treatment, lifestyle exposures after cancer diagnosis, and disease progression was collected at approximately 6 months after cancer diagnosis and was reassessed at three follow-up interviews conducted at 18, 36, and 60 months after diagnosis. A Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry database was used to obtain survival information for participants who were lost to follow-up. After a median (midpoint) follow-up of 3.9 years, 444 total deaths and 534 recurrences or breast cancer-related deaths were documented among the group of 5,033 surgically-treated breast cancer patients. Soy food intake, as measured by either soy protein or soy isoflavone intake, was inversely associated with mortality and recurrence. Patients in the group with the highest intake of soy protein had a 29 percent lower risk of death during the study period, and a 32 percent lower risk of breast cancer recurrence compared to patients with the lowest intake of soy protein. The adjusted 4-year mortality rates were 10.3 percent and 7.4 percent and the 4-year recurrence rates were 11.2 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively, for women with the lowest and highest groups of soy protein intake. "The inverse association was evident among women with either estrogen receptor-positive or -negative breast cancer and was present in both users and nonusers of tamoxifen," the researchers write. "In summary, in this population-based prospective study, we found that soy food intake is safe and was associated with lower mortality and recurrence among breast cancer patients. The association of soy food intake with mortality and recurrence appears to follow a linear dose-response pattern until soy food intake reached 11 grams/day of soy protein; no additional benefits on mortality and recurrence were observed with higher intakes of soy food. This study suggests that moderate soy food intake is safe and potentially beneficial for women with breast cancer." (JAMA. 2009;302[22]:2437-2443. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org) Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc. Editorial: Challenges in Design and Interpretation of Observational Research on Health Behaviors and Cancer Survival Rachel Ballard-Barbash, M.D., M.P.H., of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., and Marian L. Neuhouser, Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, write in an accompanying editorial that while this study provides important information, there are several concerns, including differences in the quality, type and quantity of soy food intake between China and the U.S. (47 mg/d vs. 1 to 6 mg/d, respectively, average isoflavone intake). Also, they point out the relatively short median follow-up time of the study (4 years); that there likely are differences in screening rates in China compared with the U.S.; and a number of factors may make it difficult to compare stage- and treatment-specific results in China with outcomes in the U.S. "Even though the findings by Shu et al suggest that consumption of soy foods among breast cancer patients is probably safe, studies in larger cohorts are required to understand the effects of these foods among diverse clinical subgroups of breast cancer patients and survivors. In the meantime, clinicians can advise their patients with breast cancer that soy foods are safe to eat and that these foods may offer some protective benefit for long-term health. Moreover, the potential benefits are confined to soy foods, and inferences should not be made about the risks or benefits of soy-containing dietary supplements. Patients with breast cancer can be assured that enjoying a soy latte or indulging in pad thai with tofu causes no harm and, when consumed in plentiful amounts, may reduce risk of disease recurrence." (JAMA. 2009;302[22]:2483-2484. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org) Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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  • joulesc
    joulesc Member Posts: 3
    edited January 2010

    hi ladies

    My third post of the evening hope one is not repeaing themselves, go onto amazon and invest in the flax seed and cottage cheese diet, devised by edith brosineck(unsure of spelling) this lady was german and was up for the noble peace prize many moons ago she devised a diet to asssit and  help terminal surviviors of cancer specifically Breast cancer but the drug companies did not like her ideas. as we all know its a monetary thing but her research proved invaluable,hope this helps joulesx

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