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flaxseed for women's health (and male life companion)
http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/21/02/14.html
Date: 6/15/2007 12:07:57 PM ( 17 y ) ... viewed 2744 times Flaxseed Supplementation: An Integral Aspect of Vibrant Health
by James Meschino, DC, MS
Ground flaxseed, ingested daily, is one of the most "multipurpose" natural agents that may reduce the risk of many degenerative diseases and help optimize health and well-being for adult men and women.
Flaxseeds are an extremely rich source of a mammalian lignan precursor known as secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SLD), which provides the body with the raw material from which the bacteria in the large bowel produce two powerful phytoestrogens. In fact, flaxseeds contain 800 times more SLD and related compounds than any other common food. The equivalent of two heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed (approximately 40-50 grams) helps support the health of female reproductive organs and the male prostate gland. This level of daily intake has also been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels; support liver and gallbladder function; improve large bowel health; reverse fibrocystic breast disease; help support bone density; and improve the texture and smoothness of the skin (an effect that almost everyone notices within the first few weeks of use).
Here is why flaxseed powder can provide such a multitude of health benefits:
Flaxseed and Breast Health
After ingestion, the SLD in flaxseeds is converted by large-bowel bacteria into two estrogen-like substances: enterolactone and enterodiol. Classified as phytoestrogens (plant-based estrogens), these substances can bind to estrogen receptors on breast tissue, the endometrium of the uterus and cells on the cervix, toning down the overstimulation of the body's more potent endogenous estrogens (as obtained through hormone replacement therapy or the birth control pill, for example) on these tissues. This is important because overstimulation is linked to an increased risk of breast, endometrial and cervical cancer.
The phytoestrogens derived from flaxseed are so effective at protecting a woman's reproductive tissues from estrogen overstimulation that a recently published, Toronto-based hospital study demonstrated that flaxseed supplementation greatly improved symptoms in women who suffered from cyclical mastalgia.
Other studies have demonstrated that flaxseed supplementation can help normalize estrogen production and reduce the buildup of more cancer-permissive estrogens (decrease synthesis of 16-alpha hydroxyestrone). Furthermore, flaxseed ingestion has been shown to directly slow down the breast cell division rate (antiproliferative), a factor in the prevention of breast cancer development. All indicators suggest that every adult woman (by age 16) should capitalize upon the benefits of flaxseed, as they impact the lifelong health of reproductive tissues.
(SNIP)
There are some scientific references at the end. I will post more about this soon as flaxseeds are inexpensive and easy to get and thus available to people with a wide range of incomes.
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