Does Flax Promote Prostate Cancer?
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Ronald Allan Petty
Posted on: January 02, 2005

My physical trainer heard that fax oil may not be good for men over 40. It has something to do with hormones or estrogen levels. Is this true?

Your trainer may think that flax promotes the type of estrogen that promotes prostate cancer. In fact, recent research shows that the opposite is true: the lignans in flax protect against prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia and breast cancer.

The problem with flax oil is more about its inability to convert in the body to the compounds that have been shown in studies to be beneficial in omega-3 fatty acids. If you are taking flax oil for its omega-3 benefits, you will have a better effect with one to three servings a week of a fatty fish like wild salmon or sardines.

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