Flax Lignans for Breast Health

Studies have shown that lignans, the phytoestrogens found in plants, can help with the prevention of and fight against breast cancer. Lignans are found in foods like seeds, nuts, berries, grains and fruits, with flax seed hulls having the highest lignan concentration.

Phytoestrogens are chemicals found in plants that mimic the hormone estrogen. High exposure to estrogen over a lifetime has been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. So how do lignans, a phytoestrogen, help to minimize breast cancer risk?

The secoisolariciresinol glucoside (SDG) lignan in flax seeds act as nature's selective estrogen receptor modulators, effectively managing estrogen in the body.

Flaxseed and its lignans protect cell chromosomes from damage and undesirable mutation, leading to cancer. Lignans have been shown to increase the production of hormone binding globulin. This is produced in the liver and binds estrogen, reducing the amount of free estrogen circulating in the body that will potentially enter tissue. This action helps to reduce the effect of excess estrogen on tissue growth. It is this displacement of estrogen that can help to prevent certain cancers, such as breast cancer, that depend on estrogen to start and develop.

It is believed that the SAD diet – the Standard (North) American Diet, is lacking whole foods, including high lignan producing foods such as garlic, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, and dried apricots and prunes, and that it is for this reason that women cannot modulate estrogen naturally, as they used to.

Lignans rely on essential gut bacteria to transform secoisolariciresinol glucoside or SDG in flax hulls to mammalian lignans. It is key that your diet be rich in probiotic foods in order to obtain the best results from flax lignans. Keep your intestinal tract well populated using the Osumex LB17 product, available in capsules and paste. LB17 contains seventeen strains of friendly, live bacteria. It is vegan and non-GMO. The paste is pleasant tasting, shelf-stable and easily administered to children and seniors alike.

Learn more about our flax hull lignans and live probiotic by visiting our website.

Broccoli Sprouts for Cancer Prevention and Gastric Wellness

Broccoli sprouts are 3-4 day old sprouts of the broccoli plant. They can be described as mild flavoured with a bit of a peppery radish taste. These sprouts contain powerful antioxidants that help to fight against disease.

The benefits of broccoli sprouts have been known since the 1970s. It wasn’t until Johns Hopkins University studied their benefits in the 1990s that more people took notice. The cancer-fighting phytochemical in broccoli called glucoraphanin, a precursor to sulforaphane was found. Their research determined that broccoli sprouts promoted much more cancer protection and antioxidant power than broccoli itself.

The Johns Hopkins study was followed by the discovery that glucoraphanin is in higher concentrations in 3-4 day old broccoli sprouts as it is in the concentration of full grown broccoli by roughly 20 times.

The way to obtain the value of broccoli sprouts is by chewing them. It is when they are chewed that the broccoli releases glucoraphanin and myrosinase, an enzyme found in another part of the plant cell, which work together to produce sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has the ability to trigger cells in the body to jump into action to fight disease, and the potential for disease. Sulforaphane can be understood as the General, working to put soliders that are your cells, into combat. In doing so, enzymes are made that offer protection against free radicals, DNA-damaging chemicals, and inflammation.

The overall impact is significant. Broccoli sprouts have been lauded as highly effective anti-cancer compounds. They are believed to have the ability to prevent several cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. The gastric condition known as h. pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium that resides in the stomachs of humans and animals. It can irritate stomach lining and/or the duodenum. In many cases this then leads to ulcers or other gastric complications. Broccoli sprouts aid in fighting this damage by elevating the body's protective enzymes.

Broccoli sprouts can also help with respiratory ailments like asthma. By eating broccoli sprouts, the body takes on greater levels of antioxidant enzymes. These enzymes keep the airways free of tissue damage.

Osumex’s blend of broccoli sprouts with the lignans found in flax hulls are organic, non-GMO and are harvested after three days. They must be chewed in order to obtain maximum benefits.

Learn more about Osumex’s Fortified Flax Hulls with broccoli sprouts on our website.

 

Flax Hull Lignans for Chronic Conditions such as Diabetes and Heart Disease

If you’re looking for some help balancing blood sugar levels, it may be time to add flax hulls to your diet. Flax hulls have been shown to improve blood sugar levels in diabetics. A daily intake can maintain normal levels over time.

Flax is one of the best plant sources of lignans, which are antioxidants that decrease the activity of cell-damaging free radicals, help to slow the aging process, and improve wellness. Flaxseeds provide up to 600 times more lignans than other plant foods, such as legumes.

Flax seed fibre may be able to delay glucose absorption that occurs after eating. It is believed that lignans may also have a role in this. SDG, the lignan in flax seeds, may have the ability to prevent the gene expression of glucose synthesis.

A study done in China looked at SDG in relation to glycemic control and lipid levels. Small, but quite significant improvements were shown in glycemic control. Given their overall benefits, flax lignans are considered a helpful food supplement in dealing with Type II Diabetes.

The condition of heart disease is improved with the consumption of flax hull lignans as well. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in flax help to lower blood pressure and normalize heartbeat. Cholesterol is also impacted by flax lignan consumption. LDL, considered ‘bad cholesterol’, is lowered with continued use.

Lignans from flax have been found to help reduce heart disease and stroke by reducing the build-up of fats in the arteries, lowering cholesterol levels, and preventing inflammation. This is important as it works to prevent the condition known as atherosclerosis, a common form of arteriosclerosis in which fatty substances form a deposit of plaque on the inner lining of arterial walls.

For most efficient absorption of the lignans, the Osumex flax hulls are best taken with the Osumex LB17 live probiotic.

Our flax products do not contain any seed materials or flax oil. They are specially milled and are very stable at room temperature. If properly stores, they will not turn rancid for up to 2 years.