Hi all,
I recently have read some confusing things on Flaxseed. So i came on here and did some searches and also did some searches on google and i am still somewhat confused.
At the moment i am taking Fish oil capsules, Flaxseed Meal (ground flax seeds) and Flaxseed oil. After reading some of the confusing / bad things about flaxseed and also tempted into cutting down on the money being spent on supps and the space the flaxseed containers are taking in the fridge. I was tempted into cutting back on my supps and not taking the flaxseed meal and / or oil. I wanted to get some advice from you guys.
Now what i read was some stuff on cancer and how flaxseeds can do some damage with it. Secondly i also read that flaxseeds contain phytoestrogens and they can inhibit some testosterone build up. Now after reading about soy from this site and how bad it is and how bad phytoestrogens can be for the bodybuilder, i am not keen on getting them through flaxseeds. The questions i had was first of all does the flaxseed meal AND the oil contain phytoestrogens or is it only that one of them has it. Also is only one of them potentially bad for cancer or is it both of them. I do know that flaxseed meals have very very high lignans and such which the oil doesnt have. Does this make a difference? I am just trying to figure out which one i should stop taking or if i might even stop taking both.
After all the fish oil should provide me with alot of the benefits the flaxseed will provide me with since the main reason i take flax is for the omega 3s, i suppose on a smaller scale also for the dietary fibre and protein but i can get that from many other places as well. I really dont want phytoestrogens if they do lower your testosterone count.
Hey mate,
There is a whole lotta info going around on these lignan things.
I’ve read that soy phytoestrogens are ‘free’ and so wreak havoc on your health, and I’ve also read that they are ‘directed’ and so couldn’t possibly do anything to you.
I’ve read that flax seed phytoestrogens are ‘bonded’ and so, because they aren’t ‘free’ they are much safer. I’ve also read that flax phytoestrogens have been associated with cancer.
I’ve read that many popular brands of fish oil have dangerous levels of mercury and PCTs. I’ve also read that the levels of PCTs and mercury in most fish oil products adhere to legal standards and won’t cause any harm.
As for most things, there’s information both ways. So, read some stuff, make up your won mind, listen to your body.
Vary/limit/cycle your intake so you aren’t exposing yourself to too much of anything potentially dangerous. Too much water can cause you harm - just something to think about.
Where did the flax and cancer association come from? I ask this because flax oil and seed have a lot of documentation for being a potent treatment for cancer (particularly Professor Budwig and flax). Regarding estrogen, flax seems to make me leaner, which would not suggest an estrogenic influence. The effects of flax, from what I know is one of optimising hormonal regulation (both t&e). Vitamin C has also been associated with cancer, but most people take this with a pinch of salt, because potent Vit C supplementation is consider very beneficial. Plus there are the variables of the link to cancer, for example consuming alot of EFAs without sufficient anti-oxidant protection.
Personally, I think pumpkin seeds are better, they are more nutritious and contain higher amounts of omega 3. You’re better off using flax seed oil on your cricket bat. The more expensive fish oil capsules don’t conatain flax, and use the ground pumpkin seeds, so your best bet is to go for them if your unsure.