 | More support that lignans may cut breast cancer ri |
| 3/22/2007 |
| High intake of lignans from the diet could reduce the risk of breast cancer by almost 30 per cent, suggests a new epidemiological study from France.
"High dietary intakes of plant lignans and high exposure to enterolignans were associated with reduced risks of ER- and PR-positive postmenopausal breast cancer in a Western population that does not consume a diet rich in soy," wrote lead researcher Marina Touillaud from France's Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale.
Plant lignans, found widely in plants and seeds, such as flax seed, whole grain cereals, berries, vegetables and fruits, are metabolised in the colon by microflora into enterodiol and enterolactone.
Lignans are well-known phytoestrogens - active substances derived from plants that have a weak oestrogen-like action, and have been linked before to breast health, as well as offering benefits for postmenopausal women.
The new prospective study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, investigated the effects of dietary intakes of four plant lignans (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, and matairesinol) and estimated exposure to two enterolignans (enterodiol and enterolactone) on the incidence of invasive breast cancer in 58 049 postmenopausal French women not taking soy isoflavone supplements.
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