Breast cancer. It’s a pretty serious thing. It is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012. About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer, over the course of her lifetime. About 40,610 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2017 from breast cancer. About 15 percent of all cancers are breast cancer in the UK, the most common. Breast cancer kills about 20 percent of patients within 10 years, according to Cancer Research UK. It is estimated that worldwide over 508,000 women died in 2011 due to breast cancer.
All right, that's some scary statistics. So what about solutions? Well, the answer is seeds.
Sesame and flaxseeds contain compounds called lignans, which are transformed into cancer-fighting ‘mammalian lignans’ when eaten by humans.
Lignans come in two varieties: plant and mammalian. Plant lignans are made within plants, and mammalian lignans are created in the colon, as a precursor to a meal with plant lignans.
Plant lignans are present in a wide range of foods consumed daily, such as flaxseed and other seeds, as well as vegetables, fruits and beverages such as coffee, tea and wine.
Mammalian lignans such as enterolactone and enterodiol, are produced in the colon from precursors in foods, and have been suggested as playing a role in the cancer-protective effect of vegetarian diets.
The mammalian lignans EL and ED have been linked with hormone sensitive cancers (like ovarian, breast and prostate). Primarily because they interact so well with estrogen. This good interaction helps deliver lignans and their tumour busting powers to the places that need them most.
Seeds such as sesame and flaxseed are the best source of plant lignans.
And consumption of flax seeds have been connected to reduced risk of breast cancer by 18%. They have also been linked to a reduction of mortality in breast cancer patients by a whopping 32%. Flax additionally demonstrates anti-proliferative effects in breast tissue of women at risk of breast cancer, and protects against primary breast cancer. Mortality risk is reduced among those living with breast cancer.
One of the major components in sesame seeds, sesamin, has also been proven to stop cancer cells developing, researchers proved. Sesamin increases the chances and rate of success of apoptosis. This is important. Apoptosis is the body’s way of clearing away defunct, deformed, or dying cells. Primarily this means they target cancerous cells in the body. The seeds, which can be eaten either plain or toasted, are packed full of phyto-estrogens, which help to regulate the body’s estrogen production. The phyto-estrogens are also known to stop tumour cells from developing and spreading.
So, what does all this mean? It means that you should be including these seeds in your diet. These seeds are an excellent source of fiber, omega-3 fats, lignans, and other nutrients. A lot of evidence has shown that they reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, oxidative stress, and even the risk of other cancers.