Food for thought (and PC) - Flaxseed

Well, the oil IS OK….doesn’t necessarily help, but the study found that it was NOT the oil that was causing PC. The men had genetic flaws which prevented them from processing the oil (which has no lignans) and therefore the ALA built up in the prostate and other tissues.
So finding the ALA turned out to be simple correlation (just happened to be there) and NOT the causation (carcinogen).
Almost every single article you will read on the internet will erroneously claim that flax oil is bad, seeds are good. It’s OLD thinking copied over and over and over again.
I was just so lucky to have the actual researcher answer my query - who does that? It was she who told me of this genetic flaw and I never saw it previously in any of the literature. It might be out there now in some NIH paper.
Another point I would like to add, since you have recently immersed yourself in this wonderful world of prostate disease: DON’T believe everything you read! So much is total BS, debunked ideas and older thinking . Sadly, even some of the hospital websites have erroneous info about diet, radiation protocols, etc. But again, these false statements are repackaged and polished up and put out there as FACT. Even some AI generated responses are giving you false information in their bullet points; true points also, but now YOU have to still figure it out - crazy!
It was very frustrating when I was called by the oncology dietician at Sloan Kettering. She told me what to eat and what not to eat during radiation, so as not to produce intestinal gas.
She started listing foods, But when I told her apples gave me intense gas she insisted that I could eat them. Raw carrots? Absolutely, you can eat them! GAS….!
I asked her about the FODMAP diet which reduces gas to a minimum and she really got an attitude, asking why I was not simply following what SHE was telling me.
I wanted to tell her why, but decided to let sleeping dogs lie and politely thanked her for all her help….Best,
Phil

Well done, Phil.
When I had radiation (not for prostate) I was told to eliminate antioxidants because they work to slow down the replication of the cancer cells. And radiation works best on cells that are replicating quickly.
I don't know if that is still considered true.

Ah, I see how my "oil" comment was misunderstood - I said oil is "not good for PC". What I meant was - it is not shown to be beneficial, not that it causes cancer (god forbid).

As biologist I will stand behind my belief that whole food products always work better than "extracts" since all substances in our food work in synergy with our digestive system and with our body in general. It is better to eat whole apple (organic) , than drinking it juiced, and it is better to drink fresh squeezed apple juice than having "apple concentrate ". That is because you are right - there is sooooo much that is unknown, but we know that eating whole fruits and vegetables is extremely healthy ; ), it is no brainier.

I also agree that medical community is devoid of those understandings and everything is observed in fragmented environment and always with profit as major driving force. That is why I like to include complementary medicine and I did it all of my life. I am coming form Europe where natural remedies are always in first line of defense for common health problems and only if they fail than pharma medications are involved. Actually, when you visit doctor in most Euro countries he/she will give you prescription but also a list of teas, or herbs, or other remedies that can help. It is just integral part of medicine there. As a child I took antibiotic maybe 3 times in my life. My mother who is 86 never took any prescribed medication for any ailment , now she has to take beta blockers for heart and she is very upset about that lol. All of her maladies in that long life she fixed by using herbs, diet modifications, supplements , yoga etc. I can go on and on, but I saw first hand how natural medicine can work and they can work amazingly well. BUT, for example, one should not take advice about proper diet from hospital worker but from dietitian who is versed in natural medicine. I am not naturopath but can tell you with basic knowledge that any fresh fruit and vegetables can cause gas especially if you have digestive problems. It is because of high levels of fiber and some people also have problem digesting fructose ! That person was border line abusive and ignorant ! I am so sorry you had to deal with that : (. Just terrible ...

Now, since we are here dealing with cancer - natural supplements could only be integral part, never the only part, I hope I am clear about that. (Although I personally met guy who got into kidney cancer remission using herbal remedies- my sister's boyfriend 40 years ago). I will again suggest to everybody to read this book : " How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine ". It is ENDORSED by Cancer Treatment Centers of America. It also involves chapters dedicated to cancer treatments (chemo and radiation) and a lot advice about what to eat, take or do before, during and after treatments. I find it very informative and useful and none of things advised could possibly harm anybody : ) , and can help if anything with making body stronger and with less side effects from taking heavy medications, radiation and chemo toxicity. It will not help everybody, but again, no standard and conventional treatment helps everybody either. We can just do "our best" and try all that is available for us to get well.

I too have found flax seed to be a good additive. It did help me with bowel movements. I can tell difference between when I take it and don't. I really like the crunch it gives my food.

I read (I think in WEBMD) that flax seed is good but not flax seed oil.

I take a lot of supplements. My R/Os at UFHPTI is a big supporter of supplements vitamins, etc. My HF doctor at Mayo does not like them.

So you can see medical profession has some different views on them. I think if you ate a perfect diet you would not need them. But who eats a perfect diet.

I know when I was to start my radiation treatments at UFHPTI they wanted me off all my supplements. They identified which ones I should not take. What they told me was there were several studies published that showed that supplements that are taken to lower inflamation and oxidation help protect cells.

UFHPTI said some other showed did not. They chose to use the supplements do help protect cells. Problem is that the supplements protect not just normal cells but cancer cells as well. So getting radiation treatments they did not want something in my system protecting the cancer cells from the damage of radiation when that was the purpose of radiation.

I really like the flavor and crunch of flax seed regardless of benefits or no benefits.

Mentioned book actually explains new findings about anti-oxidants and radiation etc. I strongly recommend it. : ). No matter what any individual doctor says at the end it is "us" that make decision about medical treatments as well as about life-style changes and supplements. Same as with conventional PC treatments - we read about allll of them , all pros and cons, but at the end we choose what path we will follow and what we think is best for US :). If I listened to doctors half of my family here would not be alive, and I am not joking ( now I sound like Biden lol ). Actually we are in this mess because I relaxed and listened to my husband's urologist who continually was telling us that there is NO need to worry, that my husband is in such a low risk that likelihood that he will get real problem is extremely low , like in 30 years low ... Oh well...

Yup, it is. Radiation causes oxidation, which is part of the destructive process. If you take anti-oxidants you inhibit that process, so you don’t really want them.
Probably should stay off them even after treatment since the process continues for months.

New research shows otherwise :).

In this book that is written by doctors and is endorsed by Cancer Treatment Centers it is OPPOSITE. If Dr. Paul Reilly who is confounding physician of SCT says that taking some vitamins in particular doses can actually enhance radiation success - I will take his word 🙂 not because I trust him blindly but because as a biologist I completely see how.

In biology and chemistry 2+2 do not equal 4 , there are sooooo many parameters that are involved that looking at any isolated effect of anything is not correct approach. That is why purely medical experiments are often controversial and opposing, they are super focused and miss the whole picture. But , of course, one can avoid vitamins for personal reasons if he/she prefers. I write about those finding for patients that wish to have holistic approach and beat this beast by any and every possible mean. The rest can ignore those findings and that is fine too.

My oncology team had no concern about my continuing with vitamin supplements during my two rounds of SBRT (spine and prostate) in 2021 and 2022.

Megadosing lipid-soluable vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can lead to toxicity because they accumulate in your body fat, so stick with normal, recommended doses unless otherwise advised.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis

@heavyphil
Was told the by my R/O the exact words you posted when I was given my first consultation.

UFHPTI had a ton of research on this. Some studies contradicted others. What they told me that were going with the research that showed many supplements protect cells from oxidation. UFHPTI was given a federal grant of 25 million to do long term research on prostate cancer and the treatments. I am part of that study which I was glad to agree to participate when asked.

Thus that is great for normal cells but they also protect cancer cells at the very time you are trying to damage them. I was a supplement fanatic so had to come off many supplments weeks before radiation started, during radiation, and for a substantial time afterward (don't remember exact time now but was several months).

JC, It does make sense, right? Going all the way back to the SELECT study which actually implicated Vitamin E and Selenium as a culprit in PCa, newer evidence suggests that it probably has no effect either way.
Researchers aren’t even sure which type of tocopherol ( alpha or gamma?) might be the better one even for simple RDA requirements.
Glad that your health system is finally going to get a definitive answer. Is it a double blind study or did they actually tell some patients to take supplements? Thanks,
Phil