Guest guest Posted August 23, 2004 Report Share Posted August 23, 2004 > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " > <HSIResearch > Secret in the Seed > Mon, 23 Aug 2004 10:11:51 -0400 > > Secret in the Seed > > Health Sciences Institute e-Alert > > August 23, 2004 > > ************************************************************ > > Dear Reader, > > The dangers of prostate cancer are widely reported. > And for most HSI > members, the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are > well known. Now a new > study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) shows > that prostate > cancer prevention may be one of the most important > items on the list > of omega-3 benefits. > > But it was another detail in this study that really > caught my > attention: the confirmation that a nutrient that's > beneficial for most > of us may actually increase the risk of pushing > prostate cancer to an > advanced stage. > > --------------------------- > > Omega-3s to the rescue > --------------------------- > > > In the July issue of the American Journal of > Clinical Nutrition, NCI > researchers report on their examination of dietary > and medical records > of more than 47,800 men, aged 40 to 75, with no > cases of cancer > diagnosed at the outset. > > After following the subjects for 14 years, 2,965 of > the subjects had > developed prostate cancer, and more than 440 of > these cases were > advanced. The NCI team analyzed the dietary data, > giving particular > emphasis to intakes of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty > acids, and > alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a precursor of omega-3 > fatty acids. The > results: > > * Dietary intake of EPA and DHA was associated with > lower risk of > prostate cancer. > > * The highest intake of combined EPA and DHA was > associated with more > than 10 percent lower overall prostate cancer risk, > compared to the > lowest intake of EPA and DHA. > > * Advanced prostate cancer risk was more than 25 > percent lower among > those with the highest EPA and DHA intake. > > The ALA results were mixed. Among men who reported > only moderate > intake of ALA, there was no association with a risk > of prostate cancer > overall. But for the men who developed prostate > cancer and also had > the highest level of ALA intake, the risk of their > cancer developing > to an advanced stage was sharply increased. > > The highest intake of non-animal sources of ALA was > associated with > twice the risk of advanced prostate cancer, compared > to the highest > intake of animal sources of ALA. > > --------------------------- > > Beneficial seed > --------------------------- > > > In several e-Alerts I've told you about the > importance of eating > plenty of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found > primarily in fish > (such as salmon and mackerel), flaxseed, walnuts, > wheat germ, and fish > oil. > > Good sources of alpha-linolenic acid include > flaxseed, walnuts, dark > green leafy vegetables, and meat, as well as oils > such as flaxseed, > linseed, rapeseed, and mustard oil. Research has > shown that ALA may > help promote blood vessel resiliency, while slowing > and perhaps even > preventing the growth of breast and colon cancer. So > while most ALA > foods provide excellent nutrition, one ALA source in > particular should > be avoided by men who are at risk of prostate > cancer: flaxseed oil. > > Flaxseed contains lignans, a fiber and phytoestrogen > with a chemical > makeup similar to human estrogen. And because > lignans are believed to > help remove testosterone from the body, they may > assist in suppressing > the growth of prostate cancer cells. But the lignans > in flaxseed are > concentrated in the outer shell of the seeds. So > when the seeds are > refined into oil, only a trace of the lignans ends > up in the finished > product. This process dramatically increases the > concentration of ALA. > > Flaxseed and flaxseed oil both have a very high > omega-3 content and an > excellent balance of omega-3 to omega-6. A > tablespoon of flaxseed oil > contains approximately 8 grams of omega-3 fatty > acids, but only 2.2 > grams of omega-6. No other oil comes close to this > beneficial balance. > > So... bottom line: Most men will not have problems > with normal ALA > intake; in fact, it will do them good. But for those > with an elevated > risk of prostate cancer, large quantities of ALA > foods (especially > flaxseed oil) should be avoided. > > --------------------------- > > The E team > --------------------------- > > > No discussion of prostate cancer prevention would be > complete without > a mention of two key nutrients: vitamin E and > selenium. > > In the e-Alert " Taking Yourself Off the List " > (4/22/04), I told you > about a trial of 300 middle-aged men in Finland. > Those who took a > vitamin E supplement for more than five years > reduced their prostate > cancer risk by almost a third, compared to men who > didn't supplement > with the vitamin. And risk dropped even further for > those who also ate > foods rich in vitamin E (including almonds, spinach, > mustard greens, > green and red peppers and sunflower seeds). > > And in the e-Alert " Trace Mineral Key to Preventing > Prostate Cancer " > (12/5/01), a Stanford University study demonstrated > that men with low > blood levels of selenium may be four to five times > more likely to > develop prostate cancer than men with normal levels > of the mineral. > The study also confirmed that selenium levels > decrease as men age – > mirroring the fact that prostate risk steadily rises > as men age. > > Besides the fact that selenium has excellent > antioxidant properties > that have been shown to help increase insulin > efficiency, selenium > also enhances the effect of vitamin E, making it a > perfect match for > any vitamin E regimen designed to help prevent > prostate cancer. Foods > that contain selenium include fruits and vegetables > (if grown in > selenium-rich soil), beef, tuna, turkey, chicken, > eggs and whole wheat > bread. Brazil nuts contain more selenium than any > other food: 840 mcg > of selenium per ounce. > > ************************************************************ > > ...and another thing > > To soy or not to soy... that is the question. > > In the e-Alert " Staking Their Claim " (8/20/04), I > told you about some > of the pros and cons of soy, which reminded me of an > e-mail I had in > my file from an HSI member named Geoffrey, who wants > to know about > some alternatives to both milk and soy: > > " How does soy 'milk' stack up? Since cow milk is not > recommended, do I > go to rice 'milk'? " > > There are four alternatives to cow milk and soy > milk: rice, almond, > oat and multi-grain. Unfortunately, none of them are > entirely free > from concern. Rice milk, for example, has higher > sugar content than > soy milk. Some brands of almond milk contain corn > syrup or brown rice > syrup. Depending on your tolerance level for sugars, > they may prove to > be a better alternative. Still, you should read the > ingredients > carefully. > But when Geoffrey refers to " cow milk, " the type > that's not > recommended is the highly refined milk that lines > the shelves of > grocery stores. Raw milk – taken from free range > cows, unhomogenized > and unpasteurized – is the healthiest milk > available. HSI Panelist > Allan Spreen, M.D., explains: > > " Pasteurized, homogenized milk does not qualify as > food in my opinion. > Even skim milk is homogenized (it's too much trouble > to not send it > through the same machinery), and the homogenization > process breaks up > an enzyme (xanthine oxidase), which in its altered > (smaller) state can > enter the bloodstream and react against arterial > walls, causing the > body to protect the area with a layer of > cholesterol. > > " Pasteurization also destroys enzymes through its > heating process. The > skimming process makes the remaining nutrients more > difficult to > absorb. For one thing, the calcium is better > absorbed in the presence > of milk fat (though the high amount of fat in whole > milk is for > very-fast-growing baby cows, not baby people). > > " The politics of running the certified raw milk > dairies out of > business is as sickening as the 'modern' milk we're > now forced to > drink. It was consistently shown that there were > fewer bacteria in raw > milk than the pasteurized variety! The problem is, > it takes far more > care and procedural hassle to pull it off, and the > 'big boys' weren't > into that. That's why the wonderful, certified raw > milk from Alta > Dena, Mathis, and other dairies is a thing of the > past. " > > Unfortunately, whole raw milk from pasture-fed cows > is quickly > disappearing from the American scene. In fact, the > milk industry has > effectively cut off almost all sales of raw milk. It > can still be > purchased directly from some local dairy farmers, > but its illegal to > sell raw milk in stores throughout the U.S., except > in California, > Connecticut and New Mexico. > > You can find out more information about the benefits > and availability > of raw milk products through A Campaign for Real > Milk (realmilk.com). > > To Your Good Health, > > Jenny Thompson > Health Sciences Institute > > ************************************************************ > > > Sources: > > " Dietary Intake of N-3 and N-6 fatty Acids and the > Risk of Prostate > Cancer " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. > 80, No. 1, July > 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov > " Omega-3s Appear to Protect Against Prostate Cancer " > NutraIngredients.com, 6/23/04, nutraingredients.com > " Higher Serum Alpha-Tocopherol and Gamma-Tocopherol > Concentrations are > Associated with Lower Prostate Cancer Risk " American > Association for > Cancer Research, 95th Annual Meeting, Abstract No. > 1096, 3/28/04, > aacr.org > > Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, > L.L.C. The e-Alert may > not be posted on commercial sites without written > permission. > > ************************************************************ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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