Estrogens and breast cancer
A RMIT University researcher has made a breakthrough finding which has improved the understanding of the role of estrogens in breast cancer and enables women to reduce their breast cancer risk through a simple supplement.
The discoveries were made by the Food Science and Technology School’s Leah Williamson, during a study conducted on volunteers in Melbourne and funded by Melrose Health.
“It is widely accepted that there are also good estrogens that are protective against breast cancer and bad estrogens that can increase the risk of a woman developing breast cancer,” Dr Williamson said.
The good estrogen is 2-hydroxyestrone; the bad estrogen is 16-alpha hydroxyestrone.
The study showed that postmenopausal women can increase their good estrogen by taking a daily dietary supplement containing flaxseed lignans while not affecting any other hormonal risk factors. Lignans are derived from flaxseed and widely prescribed in Europe, Canada and the US to reduce menopausal symptoms.
Lignans are naturally-occurring substances found in small amounts in foods like whole grains, beans and legumes, but in modern processed diets, women don’t eat enough of them.
Dr Williamson has recently presented her results at a series of prestigious conferences in Europe and received the award for the Best Presentation of a Scientific Abstract at the recent conference of the Australian Integrative Medical Association.
