Muffin Mania

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50521

Study: One Flax Seed Muffin a Day for 30 days Kills 31 Percent of Breast Cancer Cells in Newly Diagnosed Women

7/19/2005 1:23:00 PM


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To: National Desk, Health and Medical Reporters

Contact: Stephen Martin, Ph.D., of Grouppe Kurosawa, 707-996-1747 or smartin@grouppekurosawa.net, Web: http://www.grouppekurosawa.com

EL VERANO, Calif., July 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Canadian scientists, following up on previous studies conducted in mice, enrolled women newly diagnosed with breast cancer as volunteers to study the effects of flaxseed on breast cancer progression. In this study, one flaxseed muffin, containing a predetermined concentration of pre-lignans, was consumed per day for 30 days. Tissue biopsies were preformed prior to and after the 30 day period. The results showed that the flaxseed pre-lignans, converted in the intestines by bacteria into powerful anti-cancer lignans, were extremely efficient, in low doses, in killing the breast cancer cells in these volunteer women.

The results were nothing short of dramatic. The growth index in the cancer cells was reduced 34.2 percent, while the level of programmed cell death increased 30.7 percent. Women who expressed the HER2 (c-erbB2) metastatic oncogene saw its expression decrease by a dramatic 71 percent.

According to Dr. Stephen Martin, chief scientist of Grouppe Kurosawa, data like this has ever been reported before.

"This study is critically important not only for breast cancer patients, but for all cancer patients because lignans kill many kinds of cancers, including the presently incurable melanoma. With the exception of palmitic acid, the common saturated fatty acid, specific foods do not normally have the ability to kill cancer cells. And we are only talking about one muffin a day. What if we ate two? This study is so exciting that it has me jumping out of my skin. This study and parallel studies are too important for the public health to be ignored so we decided to send out a press release."

The WHO estimates that 1.2 million women will develop breast cancer in 2004. Since many of these women lack adequate medical care, they will eventually die from this disease. In the U.S., a country with unlimited medical resources, 211,240 women will develop breast cancer in 2005, and 40,410 will die. African American women in the U.S. are particularly prone to develop and die from this cancer.

Medical costs are out of control in the U.S. and throughout the world. Natural medicines such as lignans are cheap, non-toxic, effective in low doses, and the only hope for those without health insurance. Anyone can grind up flaxseed and put it in muffins, smoothies, yogurt or animal food. The idea that this simple seed can actually kill cancer cells in the human/animal body is almost overwhelming in its implications for human and animal health.

Grouppe Kurosawa, an organization dedicated to developing treatment protocols for acute and chronic diseases using only natural medicines and over the counter drugs, has compiled the information on lignans and cancer into the Medicinal Nutrition folder on its Web site. The folder contains hyperlinked scientific references, and flax meal recipes -- http://www.grouppekurosawa.com/nutrition.htm -- so people can investigate the medicinal powers of flaxseed on their own.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Hi Rich, I just received this through my Google news and was coming here to post it. Very interesting news with dramtic results now all we need is the recipe.

nothing like enlisting bacteria in the fight;) So whats' this palmitic acid they speak of? Maybe that could go into a muffin too.

There are a few flax muffin recipes on Diana Dyers website.

http://www.cancerrd.com/recipe_page.htm#Muf

Rhonda

I believe in complementary treatments, but...

consider me very skeptical.

If this "trial" can be repeated in another, indepedent study, this time telling us how many women were involved, then I'd mix up a batch!

Love and light,

Lisa

Lisa,

I emailed Dr. Martin (listed as the contact person) regarding who performed the study (this may have already been addressed) and how many women were involved as I too was interested in this information.

Rhonda

This is interesting. I have been making flaxseed muffins for a while now and eat one everyday with flaxseed oil and low fat cottage cheese for breakfast. I use the recipe that comes with the booklet on the benefits of flaxseed from the manufacture of Barlene's flaxseed oil. I get the oil at wholesale because I am a cancer patient. There are many benefits from flaxseed. One that works for me is I have no joint pain! If I skip a day with no flaxseed oil then I have burning deep within my joints. If this didn't work for me I would have to depend on pain killers. Thanks for sharing Rich. Sandy

What could it hurt to eat a flaxseed muffin daily? I'm all for it. How about sharing a recipe? (My mom told me once jokingly that she'd heard there were two kinds of women: those with sex appeal and those who share recipes. I told her I thought there were three kinds, including one who has sex appeal AND who also shares recipes!) I'm looking forward to a recipe! TriciaK

I'll find a recipe if someone else will work on finding out what the most current thinking is on flax use by er+ women!

Jeff

I take ground flaxseed on my cereal. And my doctor told me today to stop. I have BC and I just had my 2nd chemo treatment today. A/C and CTX. I just don't know what to do. I thought flaxseed was very good for you. I'm puzzled. What would you do? Mary Ann

Hi Sandy, Do you use ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil in your muffins? Would it be possible for you to post the recipe? Also do you know what form of flaxseed is best? Thank You

When I first had BC, my herbalist (who is very knowledgeable about breast cancer) told me to take flax seed oil, in liquid (YECHHHHH) or in capsule form. I was ER/PR positive.

Then when I developed mets (ER negative), one of my practioners (don't remember which) told me NOT to take flax.

Here's the little info I could find just now in notes:

"Flax is best consumed as 1-2 T of flax seed for bc patients
-- While flax lignans are converted in the gut to phytoestrogens, they have a positive effect in increasing SHBG, lowering estrogen availability, as well as competing with estrogen at receptor sites.
-- One small study showed 2T decreased growth markers equal to Tamoxifen."

What does all that mean? When you find out, let me know.

Love and light,

Lisa

When I first had BC, my herbalist (who is very knowledgeable about breast cancer) told me to take flax seed oil, in liquid (YECHHHHH) or in capsule form. I was ER/PR positive.

Then when I developed mets (ER negative), one of my practioners (don't remember which) told me NOT to take flax.

Here's the little info I could find just now in notes:

"Flax is best consumed as 1-2 T of flax seed for bc patients
-- While flax lignans are converted in the gut to phytoestrogens, they have a positive effect in increasing SHBG, lowering estrogen availability, as well as competing with estrogen at receptor sites.
-- One small study showed 2T decreased growth markers equal to Tamoxifen."

What does all that mean? When you find out, let me know.

Love and light,

Lisa

P.S. The flax seed muffin researcher was "so excited I'm jumping out of my skin." I've NEVER heard/seen a researcher that excited over anything, short of receiving a big grant for further study! Just be wary, friends, that's all. Sometimes, too good to be true is just that. As with ANY treatment, do your own research and talk to a trusted practitioner.

I thought that the news release sounded like it was describing Lillian Thompson's work, although in terms she would never use. Here's the original source:

"1: Clinical Cancer Research 2005 May 15;11(10):3828-35.

Dietary flaxseed alters tumor biological markers in postmenopausal breast
cancer.

Thompson LU, Chen JM, Li T, Strasser-Weippl K, Goss PE.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

PURPOSE: Flaxseed, the richest source of mammalian lignan precursors, has previously been shown to reduce the growth of tumors in rats. This study examined, in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, the effects of dietary flaxseed on tumor biological markers and urinary lignan excretion in postmenopausal patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients were randomized to daily intake of either a 25 g flaxseed-containing muffin (n = 19) or a control (placebo) muffin (n = 13). At the time of diagnosis and again at definitive surgery, tumor tissue was analyzed for the rate of tumor cell proliferation (Ki-67 labeling index, primary end point), apoptosis, c-erbB2 expression, and estrogen and progesterone receptor levels. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were analyzed for lignans, and 3-day diet records were evaluated for macronutrient and caloric intake. Mean treatment times were 39 and 32 days in the placebo and flaxseed groups, respectively.
RESULTS: Reductions in Ki-67 labeling index (34.2%; P = 0.001) and in c-erbB2 expression (71.0%; P = 0.003) and an increase in apoptosis (30.7%; P = 0.007) were observed in the flaxseed, but not in the placebo group. No significant differences in caloric and macronutrient intake were seen between groups and between pre- and posttreatment periods. A significant increase in mean urinary lignan excretion was observed in the flaxseed group (1,300%; P < 0.01) compared with placebo controls. The total intake of flaxseed was correlated with changes in c-erbB2 score (r = -0.373; P = 0.036) and apoptotic index (r = 0.495; P < 0.004). CONCLUSION: Dietary flaxseed has the potential to reduce tumor growth in
patients with breast cancer.

PMID: 15897583 [PubMed - in process]"

Possible explanations for warnings against flaxseed:
1) Hi Ki-67 actually seems to help anthracyclines work, so lowering it would not be a good idea. I wouldn't mix flaxseed and anthracyclines or any other drugs that depended on high Ki-67.
2) Although most mouse studies have found flaxseed to be beneficial in slowing breast cancer, there is a mouse study of a mouse with Her2+ breast cancer in which flaxseed worsened the time to progression and overall survival.
3) The effect in premenopausal women might be different (although I would think just for ER+ tumors). The Her2 pathway is a completely separate pathway from the ER/PR one I think (somebody correct me if I'm wrong here).
4) The study period was just one month. The longer effects are unknown, which could be particularly relevant for ER+ (think of the concerns about tamoxifen's effect possibly reversing and Her2).
5) There are contraindications. As I recall, flaxseed should not be taken with medicine since it lessens absorption.

The numbers involved are small (just 32), but reaching statistical significance given the small numbers is impressive. It would be great if they could test whether flaxseed improved survival or lessened recurrence in women who have completed treatment.

There might not be anything special about the muffins. I suspect that it was just a way of keeping people from knowing whether they were in the control or flaxseed group.

Personally I wondered though why this research wasn't carried out, as is usually the case, on women with secondaries, such as those who were on a break from chemo. Delaying treatment for primary cancer by a few weeks raises too many ethical questions, since the treatment just slowed the cancer, it didn't cause it to shrink.

I have always believed that everything should be in moderation because too much of one thing can inhibit or curtail the benefits of another good thing. (Look at the vitamin E situation and how that the thinking of larger doses is not good anymore. Maybe it isn't the larger dose of vitamin E at all. Maybe its because the "balance" with other things is off or it is inhibiting something else that's good from happening".

Besides being HER 2+ and I am also ER/PR + so I am watching flax and soy (but do consume both - less soy than flax (I eat cereal with some ground flax seed at least once per week).

I wouldn't go overboard with this until more work is done unless you are ER/PR neg. Even then, too much of one thing can get you out of wack.

Best regards,

Becky

Parallel studies are mentioned in the article. Hopefully folks will bring this to the attention of their oncs and direct some questions to Dr. martin. Maybe Dr. Slamon should be asked as well.

The same information I found in December 2000 issue of BBC !!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1061885.stm


Julie

I notice that in 2000 they were using 50g in their muffins, but this dropped to 25g in the more recent study, which involves a few more women.

Here is the information I received from Dr. Martin:

This information and more can be found in the Medicinal Nutrition folder of the Grouppe Kurosawa web site. The study was conducted in Toronto Canada, Department of Nutrition, University of Toronto and the lead author is Lilian Thompson. She is an expert on the biochemistry of lignans, and has published extensively on this topic. 32 women participated in the study.

Thank you for your interest. This is the real deal, but the research had been ignored by the press. We felt this was intolerable so WE sent out the PR.

Stephen Martin, Ph.D

rhonda r hoffman <hoffman_brown@msn.com> wrote:
Dr. Martin,

Your news release on the above was posted on the HER2neu support group website and a couple of interesting questions came up that I was hoping you could answer. Who performed the study (this may have already been addressed)? How many women were involved? Thank you.

Rhonda Hoffman