Fem-Flax® and Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer develops primarily in men over fifty and is the leading cause of cancer death in U.S. men after lung cancer.
Some pharmaceutical drugs like Finasteride formerly thought to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer, actually inhibit the early detection of prostate cancer cells. In fact the June, 2008 edition of The Medical Letter states; “Finasteride might cause more aggressive (prostate) tumors.” The article concludes: "Until more evidence becomes available, the conservative course would be not to take it."
According to the study, Finasteride has also been associated with erectile dysfunction and a lower sex drive.
If pharmacological drug treatments are questionable, what other preventative treatments are available?
As early as 70 years ago, researchers have been investigating the chemical properties of estrogens and phytoestrogens in an effort to thwart prostate cancer growth.
In 1941, Charles B. Huggins published studies in which he used estrogen to oppose testosterone production in men with metastatic prostate cancer. This discovery eventually won Huggins the 1966 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
More recently, phytoestrogens found in plant lignans have been found to be effective antagonists against prostate cancer cell proliferation and first-time formation.
In the entire plant kingdom, phytoestrogens from flax hull lignans represent the greatest source of phytonutrient bioavailability.
How do Phytoestrogens Work to Stop the Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells?
Metabolized phytoestrogens (in this case, enterolactone) bind to the same receptor sites on cells as estrogen. This action can prevent hormones from binding to cells on hormone-dependent cancerous prostate tumors. In effect, slowing prostate tumor growth or prohibiting prostate cancer cell growth in the first place.
Once metabolized, flax hull lignans are converted to the enterolignans enerodiol and enterolactone.
“The enterolignans, enterodiol and enterolactone, are formed by the action of intestinal bacteria on lignan precursors found in (flax) plants. Because enterodiol and enterolactone can mimic… the effects of estrogens, their plant-derived precursors are classified as phytoestrogens.” December 2005, Jane Higdon, Ph.D., Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University
The mammalian lignan enterolactone is a major metabolite of plant-based lignans that has been shown to inhibit the growth and development of prostate cancer.
“Enterolactone selectively suppresses the growth of LNCaP prostate cancer cells by triggering apoptosis. Our findings encourage further studies of enterolactone as a promising chemopreventive agent against prostate cancer.” [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(9):2581–90]
“Enterolactone, a major metabolite of plant-based lignans, has been shown to inhibit prostate cancer growth and development. Enterolactone suppresses proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells. The finding of this study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms that enterolactone exerts against prostate cancer.” J. Nutr. April 2009 vol. 139 no. 4 653-659
Encapsulated Fem-Flax contains the highest concentration of all-natural plant-based phytonutrients available on the market today. To learn more about cancer prevention and the disease inhibiting capabilities of Fem-Flax, please see our website at: www.femflax.com.
