Ground flaxseed may contain compounds that protect postmenopausal women from breast cancer. In a small study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, blood levels of specific estrogens linked to increased risk for breast cancer decreased significantly with flax supplementation for one year.
Previous studies have suggested that naturally occurring compounds found in flaxseed and soybeans, called phytoestrogens, work to lower levels of circulating estrogens linked to breast cancer. Flaxseed is especially high in one phytoestrogens called lignan, which is thought to inhibit estrogen production.
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