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Hey Rose,
You make a good point HOWEVER, the phytoestrogens in flax seed come from the LIGNANS which are only found in the husks. The oil doesnot contain husks, which are insoluble. (quote below)
"In terms of potential health benefits, it is better to consume whole Flax Seeds or Flax Seed oil. Flax Seeds are the better choice. Generally speaking, Flax Seed oil, unlike plain flax Seed, does not contain lignans-plant estrogens."
That being said, the theory behind B.C. prevention and lignans is summarized below:
"Breast cancer prevention
A number of animal studies have provided evidence that Flax Seed consumption may inhibit the development of breast cancer (1). A substantial body of responsible research suggests that plant estrogens- Soya and Flax Seeds- reduces the risk of breast cancer. How do they do it? No one knows for sure, but researchers generally subscribe to one consistent theory: the biochemical structure of the plant estrogens is similar to those of the estrogens produced by the women’s body. Plant estrogens, however, are much weaker than the cancer- implicated estrogen estradiols and estrone. Despite their weakness, plant estrogens appear to travel through the bloodstream to estrogen- receptor sites in breast and sexual organs. When they reach these receptor sites, they seem to latch on and take up residence. While they appear to have beneficial estrogenic effects- diminishing menopausal symptoms and positively affecting menstruation- they do not seem to exert harmful carcinogenic effects. As long as plant estrogens reside in the estrogen- receptor sites, there doesn’t appear to be room for the cancer- implicated estrogens and wreak havoc."
The jury's still out on a lot of this stuff. If phyto-estrogens displace real estrogen in the receptors, what is their action? I've also read a theory where phyto-estrogens actually modify the metabolic pathway of estrogen bypassing the step to "bad estrogen".
Here's food for thought; a recent telephone discussion I had with Jeff (from our board). The theory exists that chemo attacks fast dividing cells and that adding antioxidents, tamoxifen or arimidex, you are forcing the cancer cells to behave therefore; the chemo will not recognize the cancer cells because they are now dividing slowly as normal cells do. So...taking arimidex with chemo will fool the chemo into thinking that the cancer cells are now normal. If we took that argument to the extreme.....what if we gave the patient estrogen, get the cancer cells to really start dividing, would that make them an obvious target for the chemo to recognize??? We could use the same argument with antioxidents; and some poeple do just that.
Personally, I take the mid-line approach. Use Oleic acid or IP6 with chemo, let the 2 supplements soften-up and weaken the cancer cells so the chemo can make the first blow the death blow. There is tons of research to support this. I also believe that moderation is paramount as many studies have also shown that more isn't always better. When combining two chemicals you are looking for a synergistic action where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole: ie, 1+1=5.
Food for thought, (a pun?)
Al
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