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No More Myths: Prostate Cancer, Flaxseed and Pomegranate

No More Myths: Prostate Cancer, Flaxseed and Pomegranate

By: Mark A. Moyad, MD, MPH | Posted on: 21 Sep 2015


Pomegranate

There is a silly myth on the internet about flaxseed causing an increased risk of prostate cancer. What few people realize is in one of the largest dietary clinical trials ever done in prostate cancer, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, flaxseed was shown to be both heart and prostate healthy—and it costs pennies a day!

Taking 30 grams of flaxseed powder before surgery to remove the prostate appeared to work as well as if not better than a low-fat diet, based on a study from Duke University.

When it comes to pomegranate, I do not believe the juice or the pills work any better than placebo (I hope I’m proven wrong). I have seen many “natural products” like these come and go during my lifetime. “Natural products” like lycopene, shark cartilage, green tea supplements, saw palmetto and zinc have never proven to be prostate- or heart- healthy.


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