Flaxseed, ginseng and green tea all show promise in helping to fight cancer, according to new clinical research. At the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 2-5, 2007 researchers presented new research that showed that flaxseed and ginseng may be beneficial to those undergoing cancer treatment. Researchers from Duke University Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University randomly assigned 161 men scheduled to undergo surgery for prostate cancer to either 30 grams of flaxseed daily for 30 days or a low-fat diet. The doctors reported that the cancer growth rate decreased and grew 30-40 percent slower in the men who receive the flaxseed as compared to those on the low-fat diet. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reported on a study they conducted on the effects of ginseng on 282 individuals undergoing treatment for a variety of cancers that were expected to live longer than 6 months. The patients were given one of three daily doses (750 mg, 1000mg or 2000mg) of standardized ginseng in capsules or a placebo. The members of the study who received either the 1000mg or 2000mg of ginseng reported improvement in overall energy levels, higher vitality levels and less fatigue, as well as improvements in overall mental, physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. Additionally, 25% of those receiving the 1000mg dose and 27% of those receiving the 2000mg dose reported their fatigue symptoms were "moderately better" or "much better." The study was funded by the U.S. Public Health Service.
A third unrelated study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention found that green tea may reduce the risk of colon cancer.1 Researchers from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Shanghai Cancer Institute, and the National Cancer Institute (one of the National Institutes of Health) followed 69,710 Chinese women over a 6-year period. The women, all between the ages of 40 and 70, were evaluated and screened at baseline and again at follow-up, 2 to 3 years later. The researchers determined that women who reported drinking green tea regularly at baseline had a 37% reduced risk of colon cancer than those who did not drink the tea regularly. The researchers also determined that those who reported regular and consistent consumption of tea at baseline and at follow-up had a 57% reduced risk of colon cancer. This study adds the growing body of evidence linking green tea consumption to a wide variety of health benefits ranging from a reduced risk of certain cancers, to increased weight loss, to increased life span and improved heart health.
Learn more about flaxseed, ginseng and green tea.
1. Yang, G., X. O. Shu, et al. (2007). "Prospective cohort study of green tea consumption and colorectal cancer risk in women." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 16(6): 1219-23.
Back
