Thread: flax seed(oil)
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Old 12-08-2007, 11:40 AM
EricT EricT is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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It's the kind of thing where you're going to hear about hundreds of benefits, including cancer prevention, and then the one question about prostate cancer.....which the jury is still out on. I guess it would be safe to say that the jury is out in general but that so far the good potentials are coming out ahead of the bad potentials.

As far as the prostate thing goes there are no studies that say FLAX OIL causes or aggravates prostate cancer. Only epidemiological, cell culure, and other studies that have to do with ALA. The idea is that flax OIL has very, very high concentrations of ALA compared to the seeds in whole form and so flax oil gets recommened against because of that. Of course there is a difference between the two things and ALA is found in high quantities elsewhere. It may also may have much to do with, and probably does, the balance of EFA's in the body, such as too much omega 6 as well as the processing and potential rancidity of many of the oils the ALA comes from. There are just more questions than answers, including some studies that suggest that flax oil protects against prostate cancer. That whole thing about Uruguay had nothing to do with flax specifically. The ALA was coming from meat, butter, all sorts of highly processed oils, etc. You can't rule out other dietary factors that may influence things in these emidemiological studies, including the balance of fats in the body.

If you are concerned about it but want the benefits of flax then use whole seeds ground up. Even people who are against flax oil agree that the amount of ALA in the whole seeds alone isn't enough to cause a problem for men with potential prostate problems. If you do use flax oil, which I do, don't over do it or rely on just one oil. Get fish oil, nuts, flax, olive oil, and maybe even an oil with GLA if you want to. I've noticed people are overconsuming oils sometimes buying into the whole more is better mentality. You can get TOO MUCH of ANYTHING.

I just posted a thing in the Fish Oil thread in the sup forum because I'd noticed many people here listing there fish oil intake in the 9 grams a day or more range. That is WAY too much. Same thing goes for any one oil.
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If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.
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