Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson
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 These two elements appear to have different actions: lignan is more effective at blocking the formation of new tumors, while LNA is better at slowing established tumors. Together, she has found that they can shrink breast tumors in rats by more than 50 percent. (Thompson, L. U., S. E. Rickard, and M.M. Seidl. Flaxseed and its lignan and oil components reduce mammary tumor growth at a late stage of carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis, 1996; 17(6):1373-1376.)
17. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 With its excellent fiber and lignan content, flaxseed has been shown to protect against colon cancer as well." Sung MK, Lautens M, Thompson LU, Mammalian lignans inhibit the growth of estrogen-independent human colon tumor cells. Anticancer Res 1998 May-Jun; 18(3A):1405-1408.
FOOD SENSITIVITY
• "... In this study, the test proved accurate and reproducible when compared against conventional tests." Tseui J et al., A food allergy study utilizing the EAV acupuncture technique. Am J Acupuncture 1984; 12(2): 105.
GARLIC
• "... Long-term use of garlic helps to protect the elasticity of the aorta. |
| Flaxseed, with its high lignan content, should be on the dietary list for any men who have enlarged prostates. It's a prostate-cancer preventive, and also useful as part of a comprehensive treatment for prostate cancer.
With its excellent fiber and lignan content, flaxseed has been shown to protect against colon cancer as well.
Cholesterol and Heart Disease
You can definitely lower your cholesterol and triglycerides by adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet—but most of the studies that show the benefits of this therapy have been done with fish and fish oils. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 The dried root of eleutherococcus has a sharp, aromatic, slightly sweet taste. lignan glycosides of the liriodendrin and coumarin types, including isofraxidin, have been identified as key constituents. Unlike true ginseng, however, eleuthero is not a species of Panax and contains only small concentrations of saponins (Bladt et al., 1990).
Eleuthero root was tested and developed in the former Soviet Union during the i96o's as a substitute for ginseng. Pharmacologic studies there demonstrated an effect comparable to or even surpassing that of ginseng root (Brekhman and Dardymov, 1969). |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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| The significance of this study is that serious cancers such as those of the breast, uterus, and cervix may very well be prevented and to some degree treated with flaxseed and possibly flax oil lignan extracts.
The health of the prostate gland in men is also very much associated with essential fatty acid and hormone balance. Flaxseed, with its high lignan content, should be on the dietary list for any men who have enlarged prostates. It's a prostate-cancer preventive, and also useful as part of a comprehensive treatment for prostate cancer. |
Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine
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 Assistance in the liver's detoxifying enzymes by stimulating the biosynthesis of protein and liver glycogen.
One lignan component, gomisin A, inhibited the development of chemically induced preneoplastic lesions in rats. The results of this study indicate that gomisin A, one of the main lipid-soluble lignans found in schizandra, appears to be an antipromoter agent in hepatic carcinogenesis. |
Josef A. Brinckmann and Michael P. Lindenmaier
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 The drug contains some tannin, about 1 % silicic acid with a small amount of water-soluble sibcates; also present are phenolic carboxylic acids, coumarin derivatives such as um-belliferone and scopoletin, in addition to aviculin, a lignan [2], as well as a number of ubiquitous plant constituents. |
The Editors of FC&A
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| Flaxseeds may be small, but they are the richest source of lig-nans you can get.
And that's not all. Flaxseeds are an intense source of fiber. A single
If you're pregnant, takcan contain as much as ing prescription drugs indigestion from adding too much fiber at once. Instead, just add more flaxseed gradually until you can comfortably eat two tablespoons of flaxseed each day.
Crunch is the key to getting the anti-cancer power of flaxseed. If you swallow flaxseeds whole, your body won't absorb them. They just slip right through your system without doing much good. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
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 Probably for this reason, high lignan levels in urine (and therefore dietary intake) have been linked to protection from breast cancer in humans.12
Where Is It Found?
Whole grains are particularly high in insoluble fiber. Oats (p. 448), barley, beans, fruit (but not fruit juice), psyllium (p. 452), and some vegetables contain significant amounts of both soluble and insoluble fiber. The best source of lignan, by far, is flaxseed (not flaxseed oil, regardless of packaging claims to the contrary). |
Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson
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| Flaxseed and its lignan and oil components reduce mammary tumor growth at a late stage of carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis, 1996; 17(6):1373-1376.)
17. In a personal communication, Thompson added another word of caution: "Breast cancer patients who are being treated with estrogen-blocking drugs such as taxol might be wise to refrain from eating flaxseeds. Flaxseeds and taxol are both anti-estrogens, and we don't know how the two will interact." (Note: This restriction does not apply to flaxseed oil, which is rich in LNA but does not contain lignan.)
18. Johanning, G. L. |
Josef A. Brinckmann and Michael P. Lindenmaier
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| O-glucoside (= linusita-marin) and of 4-hydroxy-ar-cinnamyl-4-O-glucoside (= linocinnamarin) and the lignan (—)-pinoresinol-diglucoside [8]. Small amounts of the flavonoids kaempferol-3,7- O-diglucoside, herbace-tin and its 3,7-O-diglucoside, 3,8-O-diglucoside and 3,7-O-dimethylether [8], occur as well. Four cyclic nona- and oc-tapeptides (= cycloinopeptide B-E) with an immunosuppressive effect similar to cyclosporin are also present [9, 10]. The mineral content is 3—5%.
Indications: Whole, lightly crushed or bruised linseed is a mildly active bulk-forming laxative. |
Tanya Harter Pierce
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 Firstly, it is used to dissolve the lignan in the wood pulp before the pulp can be turned into paper. Secondly, after the paper is made, chlorine is used again to bleach the paper white. Dioxin results as a byproduct. Strangely, the most common way we are exposed to this sort of dioxin is through the food we eat. This is because the dioxin waste from paper mills and other industries is dumped into streams and waterways where it is easily absorbed into fish and food crops. |
Laurie Deutsch Mozian, M.S., R.D.
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 Use whole-grain products like whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and whole oats to boost the lignan content of your diet and reduce your risk of death from heart attack, as postmenopausal women lose some protection against cardiovascular disease when estrogen production ceases. Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of women.
Many menopausal women report that alcoholic beverages, even in small amounts, trigger hot flashes and night sweats. Coffee, particularly hot coffee, is reported by menopausal women to also trigger hot flashes. |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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 A group of plant sterols known as beta-sitosterols effectively reduced symptoms in patients with BPH and have been proposed as the "active ingredients" of nettle root, but a number of different compounds have demonstrated anti-prostatic activity in laboratory studies. A lignan compound in nettle root appears to reduce the binding ability of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that stores and transports sex hormones and may play a role in the development of BPH. |
Josef A. Brinckmann and Michael P. Lindenmaier
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| Protective, anticarcinogenic effects of linseeds have been demonstrated in feeding studies in rats [20—22]. In folk medicine, the seeds are also prepared as a relatively dilute mucilaginous decoction (1 tablespoon of seeds per cup or about 30—50 g per liter) which is used as a demulcent for catarrhs and acute or chronic gastritis (for more on this, see [23]). The efficacy of a mucilaginous preparation of linseed in the treatment of functional upper abdominal disorders (irritable bowel, nervous stomach, chronic gastritis) has been objectively proven in a recent clinical pilot study [24]. |
Christopher Hobbs
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 It is the mycelium that breaks down complex molecules (like cellulose or lignan in trees) and absorbs food from the environment (see Fig. 3).
The Basidiomycotina contain many well-known medicinal genera, including Boletus, Agaricus, Amanita, and Poly-porus. In scientific studies, many Basidiomycotina have demonstrated antitumor activity, and several have also been found to have antibiotic, antiviral, antiallergic, and immunostimulating properties, as well as the ability to lower blood sugar, blood lipids (such as cholesterol), and blood pressure (Lindequist et al, 1990). |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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| Researchers attributed the superiority of flaxseed to its high linolenic acid and lignan content. Despite the higher intake of calories during both treatments, the participants did not gain weight. This may have been because they also had a higher intake of dietary fib er."
How It Works
One way to measure health is by the vitality of each individual cell in the body. Adequate levels of alpha-linolenic acid from flax are necessary for the formation of cell membranes in every part of the body. |
D. Lindsey Berkson
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 Wright, some women are helped by taking one tablespoon of organic, high lignan flaxseed oil a day. Whenever increasing oil intake, make sure to take vitamin E to protect against oxidation of the oil. An interesting note about vitamin E. One of the scientists at a conference told me he has been taking vitamin E ever since he noticed that companies that gave vitamin E to cattle right before they were slaughtered ended up with meat that stayed red for a much longer period of time and therefore brought top prices. This proved to him the antioxidant effect of vitamin E. |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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| Researchers found that cancer risk was most reduced by a high intake of the isoflavone equol (formed during the metabolism of the soy isoflavone daidzein) and by enterolactone (formed during intestinal breakdown of a lignan in flax). Although the other phytoestrogens were also associated with a risk reduction, this association did not reach statistical significance.10
Researchers found that whole flaxseed and sunflower seed were equally effective in lowering total cholesterol levels (6.9 percent and 5. |
| Flax's lignan content is also considered highly protective against a number of diseases.
Inflammation
The omega-3 fatty acids in flax are converted into "good" (series 1 and 3) prostaglandins that may help reduce inflammation, pain, and allergic response in a number of conditions. In a study of patients with eczema (chronic, itchy inflamed skin), researchers fotmd deficient levels of omega-3 EFAs, EPA, and DHA in body tissues, combined with excessive levels of omega-6 EFAs. |
| Flaxseed and its mammalian lignan precursor cause a lengthening or cessation of es-trous cycling in rats. Cancer Letters 1998; 125:69-76.
18. Serraino M, Thompson LLI. Flaxseed supplementation and early markers of colon carcinogenesis. Cancer Letters 1992; 63: 159-165.
19. Serraino M, Thompson LU. The effect of flaxseed supplementation on the initiation and promotional stages of mammary tu-morigenesis. Nutrition and Cancer 1992; 17: 153-159.
20. Shukla VKS, Perkins EG. The presence of oxidative polymeric materials in encapsulated fish oils. Lipids 1991; 26: 23-26.
21. |
Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki
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 Its flavonoid content is roughly equivalent to that of green tea, since it is minimally fermented, but it has a higher lignan content, giving it more antioxidant bang for the buck.57 Most tea studies have concentrated on plain Japanese green tea or black tea. One animal study that did focus exclusively on jasmine tea, conducted by Dr. Hiroko Sho at the University of the Ryukyus, found it could lower cholesterol levels.58 This has been seen in several studies of jasmine tea.59 Other studies found that fruit flies lived twenty percent longer when jasmine tea was added to their drinking water. |
John Robbins
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 Furthermore, unlike fish oil, unrefined flax seed oil contains lignan, a plant fiber that is associated with reduced incidence of breast, colon, and prostate cancers.
The human body converts Omega-3 fats into DHA—a nutrient that is needed by all of us, and one that is especially critical for the brain development of fetuses and newborns. There are, however, indications that there can be a great deal of variation among people in how efficiently their bodies convert Omega-3 fats into DHA. |
Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson
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| Flaxmeal also gives you a cancer-fighting substance called "lignan" plus ample amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber. Have a piece of toast for breakfast, and you will stay satisfied from breakfast until lunch.
Pressed for time? You can make flaxmeal bread from a prepared whole-wheat bread mix. (We recommend Bob's Red Mill 100% Whole Wheat Bread Mix. See mail-order information on page 360.) Simply add Vz cup of flaxmeal and one tablespoon of water to the regular recipe. A few natural food stores carry flaxseed bread. |
| Most brands of oil lack lignan, however, so there's a trade-off.
FRESH GARLIC. Many of the recipes in this book call for fresh garlic. Garlic contains a number of nutrients that help fight cancer, lower cholesterol, and may even lower your blood pressure, making it an essential "neutraceutical" (a food with medicinal properties). Buy it fresh and use it often. Look for heads of garlic that are firm and fill up their papery wrapper. Soft or shriveled garlic is past its prime. Garlic salt and dried garlic are often stale and off-flavored.
FISH. |
| Flaxseeds are an ideal source of LNA, soluble and insoluble fiber, and a cancer-fighting substance called lignan. I suggest that you have some on hand at all times. You will find these shiny, coffee-brown, sesame-sized seeds in a natural food store or the health food section of your supermarket. They are very inexpensive. A month's supply can cost less than three dollars. Save some to use as whole seeds and grind the rest in a coffee grinder or similar device. (You can't grind them in a food processor or blender—they just bounce around. |
Laurie Deutsch Mozian, M.S., R.D.
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| Flaxseed has 750 to 800 times as much lignan as the nearest runner-up, the lentil. In one study, three groups of postmenopausal women supplemented their diets with 45 grams of soy flour, 25 grams of flaxseed, or 10 grams of red clover seed sprouts. Researchers then determined the maturity of their vaginal cells and found that the cells matured significantly after supplementation with soy flour and flaxseed but not after supplementation with the red clover seed sprouts. Many menopausal women experience painful intercourse due to thinning of the lining of the vagina. |
Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson
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| Recently, a new type of flaxseed oil has come on the market that contains both flaxseed oil and a lignan extract, giving you more of the benefits of whole seeds.
MAYONNAISE. Most mayonnaise is made from soybean oil. Soybean oil has more omega-3 fatty acids than most other seed oils, but its ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is still unacceptably high —12 to 1. A healthier choice is canola oil or olive oil mayonnaise. Presently, these types of mayonnaise are hard to find. Some supermarket brands are made from canola oil, but they won't say so on the front of the bottle. |
Andrew L. Stoll
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 Sources
Barlean's Organic Oils 4936 Lake Terrel Road Ferndale,WA 98248 1-800-445-FLAX
Flax Liquid Gold, Flax lignan Gold Health from the Sun P.O. Box 840 Sunapee,NH 03782 e-mail: [email protected]
Spectrum Essentials Petaluma,CA 94952 1-800-995-2705 www.spectrumnaturals.com
Game Meats (Venison, Buffalo)
Although not many supermarkets deal in wild game meats, good mail-order sources are plentiful. Some offer a variety of game meats; others sell only buffalo products. The omega-3 content of farm-raised game meat, just like farm-raised fish, will vary, depending on what they are fed. |
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