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There is new research out this morning from South Dakota State University which offers evidence that including flax in the diet may help prevent colorectal tumors or keep tumors from growing as quickly when they do form. Professor C. Dwivedi, head of SDSU's Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, directed the study. The study was conducted in mice that develop spontaneous intestinal tumors. This strain of mouse is often used as a model by cancer researchers due to this mutation.

Effects of dietary flaxseed on intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc(Min) mouse. Bommareddy A, Zhang X, Schrader D, Kaushik RS, Zeman D, Matthees DP, Dwivedi C. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):276-83. PMID: 19235044 DOI: 10.1080/01635580802419764

Coriolus versicolor is a mushroom of the Basidiomycetes class. It was used initially in Traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic, but recent studies suggest that it has immunostimulant and anti-tumor properties. Polysaccharide-K (PSK), a proprietary product derived from Coriolus, was developed for cancer treatment in Japan. When used as an adjuvant, PSK appears to improve survival rates in patients with gastric (1) (2) and colorectal (3) (4) (5) cancers. Other Coriolus extracts, such as polysaccharide-peptide (PSP) and VPS, are available as dietary supplements. When used in conjunction with chemotherapy, PSP may benefit patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (7). Other clinical studies using Coriolus extract alone or in combination with other botanicals also suggest positive immunomodulatory effects (8) (9). However, studies on breast cancer (10), hepatocellular carcinoma (11), and leukemia (12) produced mixed results. A hot water extract of Coriolus, VPS, was found to enhance development of large intestinal tumors in mice (21). Coriolus extracts are generally well tolerated but minor adverse effects have been reported. Many over-the-counter Coriolus products are not standardized, making it difficult to compare potency between brands. It is also unclear if PSK, PSP and other Coriolus extracts have comparable effects.

"Results indicated that mice on diets supplemented with flaxseed meal and flaxseed oil had, on average, 45 percent fewer tumors in the small intestine and the colon compared to the control group." The scientists published their research findings in February in the academic peer-reviewed international journal Nutrition and Cancer.