I have recently finished reading Strong Women (and Men) Beat Arthritis and have been following the program in order to deal with my rheumatoid arthritis. I've been pleased with the results, however I have a question that I can't seem to answer... In the Sept-Oct edition of Arthritis Today they have printed a supplement guide, which includes information on flaxseed (which I have been taking religiously!). It states that flaxseed should be avoided by "women with hormone-sensitive breast and uterine cancer, and by people with high cholesterol." At the same time they also state that "flaxseed lowers total and LDL cholesterol, reduces risk of heart disease and cancer...” Since I am a breast cancer survivor, I need to know whether or not I should be avoiding flaxseed... Can you shed any light on the matter? Is it safe for me to be taking flaxseed? Any information would be greatly appreciated!

As we outlined in our newest book on arthritis, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have potent anti-inflammatory effects in the body. The limited research to date shows us that flaxseeds contain phytoestrogens, which have been shown to reduce risk of breast and uterine cancer. The confusion lies in the concern that since phytoestrogens have some estrogenic effect, could they in fact be harmful? Right now the preponderance of the evidence suggests that they are still protective because they dilute the stronger estrogens that are in the body. We will need more research to investigate all the effects of phytoestrogens - but until then, we see no harm in taking flaxseed or flaxseed oil. The phytoestrogens in flaxseed oil come from lignans in the seeds, most of these are removed in the processing of the oil. However you can buy high lignan flax seed oil which contains a significant amount of lignans. (If you really want to be safe, make sure your flaxseed oil does not say high lignan.) In terms of the heart, the research would suggest that adding flaxseed to the diet might actually help to improve cholesterol profile and reduce risk of heart attack. We could find no reference in the literature regarding flaxseeds being harmful to the heart. But because flaxseed oil is highly unsaturated, it is possible that it may lengthen blood-clotting time. Therefore, if you have any problems with blood clotting, we caution you not to eat any extra flaxseed oil before talking with your doctor.