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Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake

One teaspoon of flax seeds may double one’s daily production of lignans, phytonutrients that appear to play a role in both breast cancer prevention and survival.

March 29, 2012 |
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Supplementary Info

Breast Cancer Survival and Lignan Intake, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Sources Cited

Milder IE, Arts IC, van de Putte B, Venema DP, Hollman PC. Lignan contents of Dutch plant foods: a database including lariciresinol, pinoresinol, secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol. Br J Nutr. 2005 Mar;93(3):393-402.

Smeds AI, Eklund PC, Sjöholm RE, Willför SM, Nishibe S, Deyama T, Holmbom BR. Quantification of a broad spectrum of lignans in cereals, oilseeds, and nuts. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Feb 21;55(4):1337-46.

McCann SE, Thompson LU, Nie J, Dorn J, Trevisan M, Shields PG, Ambrosone CB, Edge SB, Li HF, Kasprzak C, Freudenheim JL. Dietary lignan intakes in relation to survival among women with breast cancer: the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2010 Jul;122(1):229-35.

Buck K, Zaineddin AK, Vrieling A, Linseisen J, Chang-Claude J. Meta-analyses of lignans and enterolignans in relation to breast cancer risk. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jul;92(1):141-53.

Fink BN, Steck SE, Wolff MS, Kabat GC, Gammon MD. Construction of a flavonoid database for assessing intake in a population-based sample of women on Long Island, New York. Nutr Cancer. 2006;56(1):57-66.

Narod SA. Alcohol and risk of breast cancer. JAMA. 2011 Nov 2;306(17):1920-1.

Harris HR, Bergkvist L, Wolk A. Alcohol intake and mortality among women with invasive breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 2012 Jan 3. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2011.561.

Allred DC. Ductal carcinoma in situ: terminology, classification, and natural history. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2010;2010(41):134-8.

Acknowledgements

Images thanks to Aka, stu_spivack, Rasbak, Jitujetster, and Sanjay Acharya via Wikimedia Commons.

Transcript

Breast cancer is initially so slow growing that women may have tumors years or even decades before they’re diagnosed. So it makes sense that the same dietary factors that helped grow the tumor in the first place would keep goading it on both before and after diagnosis.
This is not always the case. Alcohol, for example, is strongly associated with breast cancer risk, but once you already have a full-blown tumor it may not make a difference if you continue to drink or not.
But in general, the same diet that helps prevent breast cancer appears to be the same type of diet that’s going to help prolong survival. That seemed to be the case in this recent new york study. Started out with about a thousand women, with breast cancer. Ended up with, less than a thousand. It must be so sad to do these survival studies; you never know who’s going to make it to the end.
Several investigations have suggested that plant-based diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains, as well as their related nutrients may have a beneficial effect on survival after breast cancer. Evidence pointed to ligans, phytonutrients found throughout the plant kingom. We know they may prevent breast cancer. Now we know dietary lignin intake is associated with improved survival among postmenopausal women with breast cancer. In fact, it appeared to cut mortality risk in half!
Where do you find it?... There’s some in red wine, whole grains, vegetables like kale, big jump to sesame seeds, and then meteoric rise to flaxseeds. Let me squoosh down the scale. Look at that. Nothing comes close to flax.
The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project estimated the quantity of lignans long Island women average on a daily basis. From their entire diet, about 6 mg a day. That’s how many lignans are found in a single teaspoon of flax seeds. So you add just a teaspoon to your diet and you may have just doubled your entire intake for the day.
Just maybe not during the last two trimesters of pregnancy, as preliminary data suggests flax use may increase the risk of preterm delivery.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

This is the third of a five-part video series on improving survival for those diagnosed with cancer. See also Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fatand Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken. For more on exploiting the slow growing nature of breast cancer, see Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing and Slowing Growth of Cancer. I have 10 more videos on flaxand some more precautionary pregnancy videos such as Caffeine During Pregnancy and Iron During Pregnancy. In this video I mentioned alcohol consumption and mortality—more on balancing the risks in Alcohol Risks vs. Benefits. And if that's not enough I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that two of the sources for this video are open access--so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section--and lignans are not the same as lignins, in case anyone is confused.

Please also check out my associated blog posts for some more context: Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst, Treating an Enlarged Prostate With Diet, Gerson Therapy for Cancer?, and  How Tumors Use Meat to Grow

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    This is the third of a five-part video series on improving survival for those diagnosed with cancer. See also Breast Cancer Survival and Trans Fat and Breast Cancer Survival, Butterfat, and Chicken. For more on exploiting the slow growing nature of breast cancer, see Cancer Prevention and Treatment May Be the Same Thing and Slowing Growth of Cancer. I have 10 more videos on flax and some more precautionary pregnancy videos such as Caffeine During Pregnancy and Iron During Pregnancy. In this video I mentioned alcohol consumption and mortality—more on balancing the risks in Alcohol Risks vs. Benefits. And if that’s not enough I have hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. Note that two of the sources for this video are open access–so you can download them by clicking on the links above in the Sources Cited section–and lignans are not the same as lignins, in case anyone is confused.

    • http://twitter.com/CocoBliss1 Coco Bliss

      Thanks Dr. Greger!  One quick question – Is it true that flax seeds must be ground in order to reap their health benefits? Or can they be eaten either whole or ground? Thanks:)

      • http://www.facebook.com/tom.cooper.39 Tom Cooper

        I have been reading lots about flax seeds and it always states that you have to ground it first and always eat it in quark or yoghurt so your body absorbs it better….but I am not medically trained (unfortunately)

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/hemodynamic/ HemoDynamic

    As always, a resounding THANKS!!!!! Your efforts help me tremendously in practice. Nearly everyday I have a patient that has or had BRCA and this whole series has been fantastic, but todays vid on the usefulness of a teaspoon of Flax is a pound of wise prevention.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/randy/ randy

    Very interesting data and report, thank you for all the great work.

    I am curious if the present data support a beneficial effect of lignans for other cancers, particularly prostate. Certainly would seem the case but It seems several years prior flax or perhaps flax oil had a detrimental relationship to this cancer.

    Certainly more research to other cancers (lung, colorectal, pancreas, prostate, brain) would be warranted, as flax’s (lignans) positive results to breast cancer is tremendous and well documented.

    Thank you!

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/randy/ randy

      My question was partially answered in the video, “Just the Flax Mam” concerning prostate cancer. Very nice Texas study archived from the notes.

      Other cancers might also be positively influenced by these Flax powerhouses. Sure would make the substance for some large scale research studies, as in the prostate cancer study.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/thea/ Thea

    Awesome info. Thanks. I know you have covered flax seeds in the past, but I think that repeat info when new studies also support the same conclusions are very helpful. One study may not be all that convincing. But study after study is certainly convincing to me.

    • Edo irfan dora

      yeah,Thanks – interesting..
      is there a relationship between migraine and cancer?
      for reference my blog.
      Http :/ / migraine-cluster.blogspot.com /
      Thank you so much

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/stefanjuhl/ stefanjuhl

    Thanks – interesting info again. Some authors warn against to much flaxseed because of high content of cadmium. Do you have a comment?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/valnaples/ valnaples

    I’m 54 yr old female…I take 2 TBSP of ground organic flax each day…hope it’s not TOO much regarding the cadmium…so easy to include in Greek yogurt, oatmeal, or on a green salad, etc. Nice video, Doc! Thank you!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/robertaj/ Robertaj

    Facebook headliner says one tablespoon and this subtitle says 1teaspoon. I watched it this morning on DVD 8 and it said 1 teaspoon. Pls clarify. Thx

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      Hi Robertaj: the Facebook intro was posed as a T or F question, hence why ‘tablespoon’ was mentioned. 1 teaspooon is the correct answer. Hope that helps!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/lidia/ Lidia

    I am wondering about flax seed interactions with aromatase inhibitors. Has any research been done on the topic? Thanks.

  • Michael Greger M.D.

    Please also check out my associated blog post, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy!

  • http://angelasdiscountmarket.com/angela.html AngelaE8654

    Thank you very, very much. This is information I will be getting out to the masses.

    Angela

  • http://twitter.com/MyBIZ5 MyBIZ

    FORTUNER SUV TERBAIKI like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I¡¦ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my website :)

  • paulette3

    One needs to grind the flax seeds to absorb the lignans, correct?

  • http://jolkapolkaskitchen.blogspot.com/ WholeFoodChomper

    Dr. Greger, could you please add the citation for the last study you mention in the video (the one indicating that “preliminary data suggests flax use may increase the risk of preterm delivery”) to the “Sources Cited” section? Currently, it is not listed.

  • http://twitter.com/MohammadBushna1 Mohammad Bushnaq

    Guys just sharing, I’ve found this interesting! Check it out!

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  • Guest

    The media is riveted by Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy to address her doctor’s prediction that she had an 87% risk of breast cancer due to defects in her BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 genes, yet I’ve seen no mention of epigenetics and its effects on cancer development in relation to this story, thus no mention of the power of diet or lifestyle in cutting one’s breast cancer risk. Dr. Greger, given the current heightened level of attention to this topic, would you please write a blog post or make a nutrition video summarizing known reliable research on this topic?

    Dr. Dean Ornish published remarkable research showing how men with incipient prostate cancer effectively turned off dozens of their cancer-promoting genes by using a vegetarian or vegan diet, regular exercise, and regular meditation practice. Has there been any similar study done on women (and men) with defects in their BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 genes? Must women lop off functioning, important organs to reduce their risk of cancer significantly (Jolie’s doctor estimated she reduced her risk from 87% to 5% by having the surgery) without having to take drugs on a regular basis?

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