Flax seed oil... DANGER

[ElectricFetus]

this thread is an atrocity!

Here what I found:

M. Donaldson, “Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet,” Nutrition Journal, vol. 3, 2004, p. 19. <http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/19>

Other researchers have tested flax seed and prostate cancer. In an animal model using mice, Lin et al [77] found that a diet supplemented with 5% flax inhibited the growth and development of prostate cancer in their experimental mouse model. A pilot study of 25 men who were scheduled for prostatectomy surgery were instructed to eat a low-fat diet (20% or less of energy intake) and to supplement with 30 g of ground flaxseed per day. During the follow-up of an average of 34 days there were significant changes in serum cholesterol, total testosterone, and the free androgen index [78]. The mean proliferation index of the experimental group was significantly lower and apoptotic indexes higher compared to historical matched controls. Ground flax seed may be a very beneficial food for men battling prostate cancer.

 

[Michael]

This article is a thorough examination of the pros and cons (I think).

I want to know why oxidation of butter is bad?

I personally only tkae one supplement and that's Omega 3 fish oil capsules. One in the morning. But, as I usually eat a lot of fish (only red meat maybe once every couple of weeks) maybe I'll dish this as well?

I didn't realize mayo is so f*cking processed. That sucks. I only use balsamic vinegar on salads so I don't care about salad dressing but the mayo thing pisses me off!

 

[lightgigantic]

Men should never eat flax seed oil... web MD will tell you why...

it has a chemical known to be the worlds most powerful growth stimulant for prostate cancer....

so women can eat it... but men should not.

men should take fish oil.. if they want omega 3's....

did you guys know that?

cause no flax product has any warnings on it.... its a crime.

-MT

and think again ....

http://www.healthy-oil-planet.com/flaxseed-oil-prostate-cancer.html

Research Study #1:

Researchers at the Michigan Prostate Institute took rat prostate cancer cells in test tubes and exposed to them different fatty acids. They found linolenic acid increased the cancer cells' growth.

We know flaxseed oil also contains high amounts of alpha linolenic acid. But you must remember these cancer cells weren't exposed to flaxseed oil. Would flaxseed oil increase the growth of cancer cells? Not enough information from this study to make that conclusion.
Research Study #2:

Eat too much fat and increase your risk for prostate cancer?

Scientists at Harvard Medical School discovered certain fats in your diet increase the risk for prostate cancer. Which fats were these? They looked at dairy fats, fish fats, meat fats and specific fatty acids.

What they found was:

* Dairy fats (not including butter) and fish fats had almost no increased risk for prostate cancer.

* Eating certain types of fatty meat containing alpha linolenic acid increases your risk for prostate cancer.

Now since flaxseed oil also contains alpha linolenic acid, a connection was made that eating flaxseed oil may increase your risk for prostate cancer. Before you toss out that bottle of flaxseed oil, you need to know that some animal fats contain alpha linolenic acid.

Research shows that exposing alpha linolenic acid to high cooking temperatures (such as grilling those big juicy fat steaks) releases cancer-causing agents, such as benzene.

Could this be the cause of increased prostate cancer risk? I'm sure a lot of vegetarians are nodding their heads in agreement.
Research Study #3:

A study from the Department of Preventative Medicine in Chicago showed an increase risk for prostate cancer with high plasma levels of alpha linolenic acid.

Researchers in Norway confirmed this with their own study showing prostate cancer patients had high blood levels of alpha linolenic acid.

so finally

Conclusions:

So what can we gather from all this research?

* There are no published medical studies linking flaxseed oil and prostate cancer.

* There are conflicting studies linking prostate cancer with high levels of alpha linolenic acid:

o Some studies show high alpha linolenic acid levels and an increased risk for prostate cancer and other studies didn't support this.

o To date, there are no studies showing flaxseed oil causes prostate cancer.

* Eating a high fat diet may increase your risk for prostate cancer:

o High cooking temperatures may alter the fat in meat, releasing cancer-causing agents. Alpha linolenic acid (found in certain cuts of meat) releases benzene (a carcinogen) when exposed to high temperatures.

 

[S.A.M.]

Damn!

I thought Mosheh was back. Haven't seen him around in ages.

 

[humvee2020]

Flax Seed Danger Is BS...Here's Why

For those of you bashing flaxseed oil as a cause of prostate cancer, you are WRONG.

I'm 39. I have prostate cancer with surgery scheduled next week. While I waited for the damage from my biopsy to clear (about 8 weeks), I went on a major alkaline diet plus cottage cheese mixed with flaxseed oil. I consumed 12 tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day.

In 8 weeks I reduced my psa level. My tumor is confined to the prostate, which was shown by endorectal mri.

IF flaxseed oil was going to have an impact, it would have done so to me, but my numbers improved and my cancer did not progress outside my gland, not to mention this is the best I've felt in 5 years with puffiness gone from my face, 15 pounds of weight loss and tons of energy with no coffee.

So look at all the studies you want, I'm living it and did it and it worked great. I will continue after my prostate is out to consume flaxseed oil.

You would be better served by going against omega 6 fatty acids, fast foods, smoking, drugs or something else where there is an abundance of evidence that it affects a person negatively.

 

[codanblad]

and who is able to know if they have prostate cancer?

And who is at risk for it?

And who may have minor stages of it?

Most men on earth.

Do what you want.. Eat what you want... But i wont.

I only wished to share this info... As most people just have no idea.

My job is done.. Since now.. You have the knowledge and can deside accordingly.

-mt

omg you guys i have evidence that breathing may cause cancer!!!

I've done everything i can do here! You're a great audience, try the veal.

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

and who is able to know if they have prostate cancer? and who is at risk for it? and who may have minor stages of it? Most men on earth. Do what you want.. eat what you want... but i wont. I only wished to share this info... as most people just have no idea. my job is done.. since now.. you have the knowledge and can deside accordingly.

Moshe, you need to understand that you truly are being a scaremonger. This is a place of science and you are simply not practicing science. The evidence supporting your hypothesis is nowhere near extensive enough to warrant drawing such a firm conclusion.

If you personally have a hunch that flaxseed oil will eventually be proven toxic and your own regimen of risk management guides to you preemptively eliminate it from your diet rather than waiting to find out if your hunch is true, then that is certainly your right, and to exercise it is not even totally irrational. But to attempt to convince everyone else to behave as you do rather than waiting to find out if someone else's hunch is true, is bullying and you must stop it. We will each come to our own conclusion about the risk of flaxseed oil, based upon the extremely scant evidence that you have provided and anything else we can dig up for perspective. And then we will each decide how to balance that risk against the other risks that flaxseed oil mitigates. That is how risk management is performed.

I eat a cup of wild blueberries every day and take ground flaxseed and cod liver oil as supplements.

I notice that one of the references mentions the risk of a combination of flaxseed oil supplements with a low-fat diet. I eat a high-fat diet (while maintaining a healthy weight and doing my best to stay away from transfats) so I guess that means I have less to worry about.

I'm at an age now that if I were diagnosed with prostate cancer I'd probably still die from some other cause before it became critical.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

For those of you bashing flaxseed oil as a cause of prostate cancer, you are WRONG .... So look at all the studies you want, I'm living it and did it and it worked great. I will continue after my prostate is out to consume flaxseed oil.

I’m glad your prostate cancer has reduced, but your singular anecdotal story does not count as any sort of scientific evidence. But thank you for inviting us to look at properly designed studies rather than anecdotal stories. We will do so as these are what science and medicine use to guide policy on the safety of compounds.

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

I take ground flaxseed as a supplement, but I couldn't remember why. So I gave up and asked Mrs. Fraggle, my resident expert on health and nutrition. She just laughed and said, "You have the memory of a gnat. Don't you remember why I told you not to take flaxseed oil? That's the reason you buy a sack of whole flaxseed from a farm in South Dakota, keep it in a dark dry place, keep a cup of it in a dark dry place in the kitchen, and every day you measure out one teaspoon of seeds, grind them up in a spice grinder, mix them in water, and swallow it."

It's because flaxseed oil is very unstable and goes RANCID easily. You can't keep it around for more than a few days or it starts to go bad. And RANCID OIL is generally acknowledged as a carcinogen.

So flaxseed oil in and of itself isn't bad for you, and in fact (at least arguably) it's good for you. The problem is that it has virtually no shelf life and when it goes bad it becomes carcinogenic.

So the O.P. is correct: don't take flaxseed oil that's already been processed. Buy it whole like I do and grind it up every day. And keep it dark and dry. She even gives it to the dogs.

 

[tablariddim]

And of course, one of the reasons you take it is that it improves your memory...ahem, I think not.

 

[PhiloBedo]

Here's what WebMD actually says...

Please read through to the end.

Prostate cancer. Research studies don’t agree about the role of the flaxseed oil ingredient, alpha-linolenic acid, in prostate cancer. Some epidemiologic research suggests that high dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid is linked with an increased risk for prostate cancer. Other research suggests high intake or high blood levels of alpha-linolenic acid is not linked with the overall risk of prostate cancer; however, extra alpha-linolenic acid might make existing prostate cancer worse. The source of alpha-linolenic acid appears to be important. Alpha-linolenic acid from dairy and meat sources has been positively linked with prostate cancer. Alpha-linolenic acid from plant sources, such as flaxseed or flaxseed oil, does not affect prostate cancer risk.

 

[madanthonywayne]

it seems to me that the suggestion that flax seed oil promotes prostate cancer growth is just that: a suggestion. There are only a few reports and, with a single exception, they are all epidemiological. I could find only one functional study and it used cell culture only.

The upshot of what I just said is that this is not a strong case. I’m not saying that it’s untrue – flax seed oil may well promote the growth of prostate cancer cells. (This would almost certainly be via hormonal stimulation of androgen-responsive cancer cells.) But at the moment there is no compelling evidence that it does.

Exactly. Nevertheless, I have stopped recommending flax seed oil to my male patients (omega 3's are thought to help with dry eye and macular degeneration) and now suggest fish oil.

 

[kevinalm]

I take ground flaxseed as a supplement, but I couldn't remember why. So I gave up and asked Mrs. Fraggle, my resident expert on health and nutrition. She just laughed and said, "You have the memory of a gnat. Don't you remember why I told you not to take flaxseed oil? That's the reason you buy a sack of whole flaxseed from a farm in South Dakota, keep it in a dark dry place, keep a cup of it in a dark dry place in the kitchen, and every day you measure out one teaspoon of seeds, grind them up in a spice grinder, mix them in water, and swallow it."

It's because flaxseed oil is very unstable and goes RANCID easily. You can't keep it around for more than a few days or it starts to go bad. And RANCID OIL is generally acknowledged as a carcinogen.

So flaxseed oil in and of itself isn't bad for you, and in fact (at least arguably) it's good for you. The problem is that it has virtually no shelf life and when it goes bad it becomes carcinogenic.

So the O.P. is correct: don't take flaxseed oil that's already been processed. Buy it whole like I do and grind it up every day. And keep it dark and dry. She even gives it to the dogs.

Err..., I think I'll pass. But for those who are looking for pure flax seed oil, go to the paint section of your local hardware store. It's called linseed oil. Very handy to preserve wood, mix your own oil based paint, or if you're in an extreme do it yourself mood, you can try to make your own linoleum.
Oh, and it also is useful for accidently starting fires in rags. That almost happened for me once. The rag actually charred black in the middle.