BROOKINGS, S.D.—New research from South Dakota State University indicates that including flax in the diet may help prevent colorectal tumors, or keep tumors from growing as quickly when they do form.
“The study was conducted in a special strain of mice that develop spontaneous intestinal tumors due to mutation in a gene,” said Chandradhar Dwivedi, distinguished professor and head of SDSU’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “This model is developed to investigate the effects of cancer preventive agents on genetically predisposed individuals. Results indicated that mice on diets supplemented with flaxseed meal and flaxseed oil had, on average, 45 percent fewer tumors in the small intestine and the colon compared to the control group.”
They study was published in the March 2009 issue of Nutrition and Cancer.
