Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
A highly nutritious tiny seed called flaxseed is well-known for its dynamic health advantages.
Flaxseed is readily available in whole and ground forms, and it’s simple to incorporate it into a number of foods including snack mix, yoghurt, and oatmeal. Salad dressings and sauces frequently contain flaxseed oil, which is created by crushing the seeds.
These small seeds are packed with a range of vital nutrients that can help you achieve optimum health, so don’t only judge them by their size. These are the ultimate superfood that you have been missing out on, whether you consume them whole or ground. You can add flaxseeds to salads, trail mix, cereals, curd, and other foods.
In addition, flaxseed oil, which you can buy in the market and use to make salad dressings, is also available. Numerous investigations and research projects have been carried out in recent years to clarify the advantages of ingesting flax seeds in the management of various chronic conditions.
One such study focuses on how eating flaxseeds can help to reduce the odds of acquiring breast cancer, and oncology treatment specialists in India say the findings are highly encouraging. Let’s first read a little about breast cancer before moving on.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent disease among Indian women, accounting for roughly 14% of all malignancies that strike women in our nation. 2.3 million women globally had the same diagnosis in the year 2020, raising concerns about it on a global scale.
Breast cancer, as the name implies, arises from breast cells as a result of certain DNA mutations. Several potential causes for such modifications can lead to the development of a mass or lump that is often known as a tumour.
Flaxseed is considered to be the most common type of seed that can help in the prevention of breast cancer. Read further to know how:
Benefits of flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are a great source of lignans
Several food products contain lignan, a form of phytoestrogen. You may be wondering what phytoestrogen implies at this point.
These substances can imitate or reproduce the effects of oestrogen. Although less potent, lignans have been proven in several studies to be able to stop the synthesis and metabolism of oestrogen in the body, which can increase the risk of breast cancer.
A study in this area clearly showed a connection between increased lignan consumption and noticeably decreased chances of breast cancer.
Flaxseeds are packed with fibre
Another prime benefit of flaxseeds is that they are packed with fiber.
A tablespoon of flax seeds has around 2.5 grams of fibre, in case you didn’t know.
What wonderful tips it is for all you gym fanatics out there! It is well proven that consuming foods high in fibre will protect you from a variety of illnesses, including the dangerous condition of breast cancer. The fact that flaxseeds are a fantastic source of fibre is accurate, but only for whole, ground flaxseeds, not flaxseed oil.
According to studies, flax seeds not only reduce the chance of getting breast cancer but also improve treatment outcomes for those who already have the symptoms of breast cancer.
Flaxseeds are loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids
Most of you won’t be surprised to learn that eating Omega 3 fatty acids has health advantages because they are well-known and acknowledged. A form of good fat known to support the health of the heart and joints is omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega 3 fatty acid consumption, however, can aid to improve the efficacy of the medications provided to a breast cancer patient during chemotherapy, which is something that most people are unaware of. This is because specific pathways that are important for cell proliferation might be blocked by fat.
If you want to consume the seeds while receiving chemotherapy, you should talk to your doctor beforehand since they might affect how some drugs, such as blood thinners and glucocorticoids, work. There is still a need for in-depth study to corroborate the assertion that Omega 3 fatty acids found in flax seeds can assist to lessen the chances of breast cancer development, even if some studies seem to support it.
Flaxseed is high in antioxidants
Like other nuts and seeds, flaxseed is a fantastic source of antioxidants. These include particular substances like ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside.
Antioxidants can lessen inflammation, neutralise dangerous free radicals, and shield your cells from oxidative cell damage.
Antioxidants help stave off cancer and chronic diseases, according to research.
It’s interesting to note that one review said antioxidants may be crucial for the prevention of breast cancer and may even increase the efficacy of some medicines used to treat the disease.
Can flaxseed help prevent breast cancer?
Consuming flaxseed has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in a number of earlier studies.
A number of elements, including fibre, lignan, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acid content of flaxseed, can contribute to the prevention of breast cancer.
However, even while many of the individual flaxseed components could be advantageous, eating it shouldn’t be viewed as a fast treatment to stave off breast cancer.
Breast cancer growth can be influenced by a number of variables, such as your age, genetics, medical history, lifestyle, and general nutrition.
Flaxseed and flaxseed oil should be included in a wholesome, balanced diet along with a range of other nutrient-rich foods for maximum effects.
Final thoughts
Regular eating of flaxseed may be associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer, according to certain earlier research.
Additionally, fibre, lignans, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids are among the nutrients and substances found in flaxseed that may help prevent breast cancer.
Flaxseed is a fantastic approach to boost general health and increase the number of nutrients in your diet, especially when combined with a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
Here in this article, we have acknowledged the benefits of flaxseeds in the prevention of breast cancer and you may add this superfood in your daily diet to extract the maximum benefit out of it.
Furthermore, it is always a great idea to get timely health screening done to get a meaningful picture of your health.
