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Research has uncovered a natural compound found in flaxseed that has shown to have promising results on cancer prevention. This compound is lignan. Lignans are classified as phytoestrogens and have both weak oestrogenic and anti-oestrogenic actions.
Flax is one of the richest sources of plant lignans; it contains 70-800 times more lignans than any other plant. The major lignan in flaxseed is secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG). Following ingestion, plant based lignans are converted in the large intestine into two mammalian lignans: enterolactone and enterodiol. The two compounds are absorbed from the intestine and undergo enterohepatic circulation.
A high intake of dietary plant lignans is associated with high levels of mammalian lignans in blood serum and urine. Therefore, lignans may act as early biomarkers for the incidence of certain disease states.
Lignans were once widespread in the diet; the Western diet has eliminated much of the unrefined grains and opted for process foods. With a strong body of evidence that suggests lignans promote breast health, the addition of flaxseed or a lignan supplement to the diet is a must to women's health.
Breast Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in women. One in 11 Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before they turn 75. More than 11,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Australia. The disease kills about 400,000 women globally each year. Figures show that 85% of women aged 40-69 are alive, five years after diagnosis and the survival rate is much lower for younger women.
About Oestrogen
Oestrogen is critical to women's physical development and functions. Every cell in the body has oestrogen receptors and oestrogen replenishment is essential for the body to function normally. Because women are exposed to varying levels of estrogen throughout adulthood, maintaining a hormonal balance to enable a healthy lifestyle is a complex challenge.
Oestrogen levels are typically high in women during the childbearing years and then fall away through the perimenopausal and postmenopausal years. With inadequate oestrogen a woman can experience symptoms such as hot flushes, mood changes and a loss of bone density. On the other hand, with too much oestrogen, symptoms can range from PMS to more critical events such as unhealthy breast tissue.
Breast cells contain specific oestrogen receptors that are designed like a 'lock' and only the right shaped key will fit the lock. In this case, the key is "free" oestrogen. Normally, the body's free oestrogen (in the blood) attaches to a breast cell and naturally occurring enzymes cause the breast cell to grow and divide in an orderly manner so that worn out or injured tissue is replaced or repaired. The more oestrogen that is available, the more rapid the growth and division of breast cells. If cells duplicate or grow in an abnormal way a mass (lump) may develop.
Phytoestrogens - Plant Lignans
Management of oestrogen levels with plant phytoestrogens has been a topic of research for a number of years. Isoflavonoids and lignans are two commonly occurring phytoestrogens. Isoflavonoids occur principally in soy whilst lignans occur in most plants. The richest source is in flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), also known as Linseed, with 70-800 times more lignans than any other plant. Flaxseed has been shown to have numerous protective effects in epidemiological, animal and cell studies of breast tissue.
The major lignan in flaxseed is secoisolariciresinol (SDG). When SDG is ingested, it is transformed into the mammalian lignans Enterodiol and Enterolactone by gut bacteria. Mammalian lignans are believed not only to have chemo protective properties, but to be potent antioxidants.
Every woman concerned with health, vitality, and longevity should consider taking Lignan Life. It represents a new paradigm of "proactive breast health" that is dedicated to addressing breast health before a problem occurs.
Proactive breast health is firmly founded on the model of the "oestrogen window", and the very real possibility of managing one's own oestrogen window toward the attainment of optimal breast health.
When using Lignan Life you may not feel any noticeable change in your body. For many women, the satisfaction in knowing that they are taking a proactive step toward optimal breast health is motivation enough. However, women have also reported a range of potential side-benefits, and you might experience the following when taking Lignan Life on a regular basis.
Women have reported a reduction in menopause and PMS related symptoms, such as reduction in:
- hot flashes
- bloating
- breast tenderness.
Some women may experience a slight lengthening of their menstrual cycle. For example, that might mean they experience a 30-day cycle rather than a 28-day cycle. While this may not appear to be a benefit at all, you may experience fewer periods during your reproductive years, and decrease your lifetime exposure to oestrogen as a result.
There are no known adverse effects related to lignan supplementation. As with all nutritional supplements or pharmaceutical drugs, suggested dosages of Lignan Life should not be exceeded without the advice of a licensed health care professional.
Lignan Life is comprised of a very special and specific plant lignan which has been isolated, purified, concentrated, standardized, and guaranteed for potency from flaxseed. Flaxseed is the most highly researched source of plant lignans.
While flaxseed is the world's most abundant source of lignans, the concentration of lignan from crop to crop, variety to variety and, for that matter, from seed to seed, can fluctuate up to 300%. Lignan Life guarantees to deliver an exact dose every time, designed to raise the body's physiologic concentration of lignans to that of women on a very conscientious, vegetarian diet and with an excellent history of breast health.
The effect of Lignan Life is almost immediate. Within one week of taking Lignan Life, lignan levels equal or slightly exceed those in women who have demonstrated a high degree of breast health.
Once you stop taking Lignan Life, supplemental lignan levels and their proactive effects are gone within 48 to 72 hours.
Supplemental lignan levels are quickly reestablished once Lignan Life supplementation is reinstated.
Pregnant women or breast-feeding mothers should not take Lignan Life.
With the exception of early pregnancy, women are exposed to lower-than-average levels of estrogen while pregnant and lactating. The body effectively closes the oestrogen window during this time, temporarily negating the need for Lignan Life.
Further, though no negative side effects have been reported in relation to women, lignans, pregnancy, and lactation, Lignan Life has not been tested in pregnant or lactating women. If you are taking Lignan Life and discover after the fact that you are pregnant, simply discontinue use until after the birth of your child and after lactation/breast feeding has ceased.
Women undergoing breast, ovarian or cervical cancer treatments should consult with their physician before taking any nutritional supplement including Lignan Life.
Lignan Life is comprised of natural plant lignans and is therefore not a pharmaceutical drug. Natural products cannot legally be sold to treat or prevent illness, only to support the structure or function of the body. However, a physician has the right to use any means within his or her power to treat or prevent disease Ð including nutritional supplements. Lignans, isolated, concentrated, purified and standardized for potency in Lignan Life, have been shown to support the structure and function of the body to ensure healthy breast tissue.
Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle are important factors to ensure a healthy future. For some pharmaceuticals such as Tamoxifen® the effectiveness of the drug wanes and should be discontinued after 5 years. For women interested in the preservation of healthy breast tissue long-term, they may want to consult with their physician to see If Lignan Life is a good choice for them. As with all pharmaceuticals or nutritional supplements, you should consult with your physician before use following or during the treatment of a serious illness.
The majority of breast cancers are not hereditary. In fact, only 10% of breast cancers can be owed to a hereditary predisposition. The remaining 90% of breast cancers are owed to dietary, lifestyle, environmental and unknown causes.
Product Sizes
Lignan Life contains 60 tablets each with 50mg of SDG.
Flaxseed Lignan Research
Encouraged by results in animal models, Thompson et al conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to determine the effect of flaxseed on 39 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Patients received 25 grams of flaxseed, or a placebo, daily for an average of 39 days before surgery. The patients who received the flaxseed had reduced tumor cell proliferation at a rate similar to the effects shown with Tamoxifen®.
Many epidemiological studies have found that women with a high urinary excretion of lignans have lower risk of developing unhealthy breast tissue than women who excrete low amounts of lignans.
The protective effects of flaxseed lignans on breast tissue may be due to several mechanisms including the ability to interfere with oestrogen metabolism. Experiments over the past 20 years have shown that a large part of the cancer inducing effect of oestrogen involves the formation of antagonistic metabolites of oestrogen, especially 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone. Other metabolites, such as 2-hydroxyestrone offer protection.12 Studies in both peri-and postmenopausal women have shown that daily consumption of ground flaxseed increased 2-hydroxyestrone.
Mammalian lignans have a similar structure to oestrogen which means that they can fit the same lock on the breast cells and block the entry of free oestrogen. It is thought that the mammalian lignans increase the naturally occurring enzyme that directs the break-down of free oestrogen to the 2-hydroxyestrone.
In addition, observation and in vitro studies suggest lignans may stimulate the synthesis of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds more than 95% of steroid sex hormones circulating in the body. An increase in SHBG would lead to lower free oestrogen concentrations, providing a chemo protective effect.
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