A Cancer Inhibitor With a Little Crunch

By Ray Sahelian, M.D.

I am a big fan of flaxseeds. I really enjoy the crunchy taste. Flaxseeds - which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans (a fiber found in the seed coat) - are helpful for colon health, similar in some ways to psyllium. And new research indicates that they can prevent the spread of some types of cancer.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina took a look at the seed's role as a food supplement in 161 men who were scheduled to undergo surgery for prostate cancer. Half of the men added 30 grams of flaxseed (about one ounce) to their diets for about 30 days. After the surgery, the researchers looked at the men's tumor cells to see how quickly the cancer had multiplied. The cancer cells in the flaxseed group were growing about 30 to 40 percent slower than in the control group.

If you want to get the health benefits of flaxseeds, you can add half a teaspoon or a teaspoon of raw flaxseeds to soups and salads. Or you can take a flaxseed oil supplement in the form of one or two softgels a day. You can find flaxseeds and flaxseed oil in health food stores or online.

[Ed. Note: Ray Sahelian, M.D., the author of Mind Boosters, is internationally recognized as a moderate voice in the evaluation of natural supplements.]

It's Fun to Know: Word Origins

If you ever wondered why the word "kitty" is used to refer to the pot to which poker players contribute, Willard Espy offers this humorous explanation in Thou Improper, Thou Uncommon Noun:

"[The name] Catherine turned to Kate, and Kate to Kitty. Some Kittys were no better than they should be, and Kitty became one of the many epithets applied to prostitutes. Spirited Johns - not yet lowercased for a prostitute's customer - used to amuse themselves by tossing coins into the laps of Kittys, as poker players today throw their antes or bets into a kitty in the hope of getting a winning hand. The sequence cannot be proved - no one will talk - but it seems plausible."

Word to the Wise: Gambol

To "gambol" (GAM-bul) - from the Latin for "leg" - is to playfully skip or leap about.

Example (as used by Barbara Kingsolver in The New York Times): "I've been told dolphins like to gambol in the waves in these waters, and that sighting them brings good luck."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2160, 09-29-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.