Confused which seeds are ok to add to diet

[Jholly4]

Trying to work out whether or not flax seed or chia seed is ok to add to my smoothies. Some articles say it reduced OC risk but then say if you have an oestrogen driven OC not to use. Anyone found any easy to understand advice out there on this topic? Jholly

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Good afternoon Jholly4

Thank you for your post and question about seeds.

Flax seeds (also referred to as linseeds) and chia seeds are both foods which contain phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are chemicals found in plants which are similar to oestrogen. Flax seeds contain more phytoestrogens than chia seeds.

Phytoestrogens have been a topic of interest amongst our membership as some media reports have suggested that foods containing phytoestrogens can increase the risk of certain cancers – or may be unsuitable for people with certain cancer diagnoses. As many ovarian cancers are driven by oestrogen, the Ovacome support team are sometimes asked whether consuming products that contain phytoestrogens is safe for those diagnosed with these cancers.

Currently, the evidence is that there are health benefits to consuming foods containing phytoestrogens in various forms and that they are safe, including for those diagnosed with cancer. Although there are similarities between phytoestrogens and oestrogen, they don’t behave in the same way in the body and their effect is much weaker. For example, soy is a food which is high in phytoestrogens and the studies that suggested a possible connection between soy and oestrogen-driven cancers were carried out in laboratories or on animals using far higher doses of phytoestrogens than are found naturally in soy.

In December 2021, Ovacome hosted a webinar with dietitian Adele Hug who discussed the most current advice on diet and nutrition for people living with cancer, and addresses some of the common misconceptions around this topic. This included a section about phytoestrogens which can be viewed at approximately 9 minutes into the webinar. The recording can be found here on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/watch?v=ghsVRM5...(Not working as expected?). Adele explains that consuming phytoestrogens is safe and probably protective, including for people with ovarian cancer.

Whilst not directly related to seeds, in our Autumn/Winter magazine of 2018, specialist oncology dietitian Rachel White wrote a comprehensive article about soy and phytoestrogen that I hope will be of interest to you. It can be found on page 10 of 16 through this link: ovacome.org.uk/Handlers/Dow... .

Macmillan also provide information about healthy eating and cancer, which can be found here on their website: macmillan.org.uk/cancer-inf....

If you would like to access personalised advice about diet, your clinical nurse specialist or oncologist may be able to refer you to a specialist oncology dietitian for further guidance. Some people may be advised to avoid high fibre foods such as seeds if they have a stoma for example.

I hope this information is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have further questions or would like to talk things through. We’re here Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm, to help with queries or just have a chat about anything that’s on your mind. You can reply directly to this email or give us a call on 0800 008 7054.

Best wishes

Annie – Ovacome Support

[Jholly4 in reply to OvacomeSupport]

Thank you this is so helpful.

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team in reply to Jholly4]

Hi Jholly4

I'm really pleased that you've found the information helpful. Please do let us know if there's anything else we may be able to support with.

Best wishes

Annie - Ovacome Support

[Nicky100 in reply to OvacomeSupport]

That’s amazing advice.

[Motiva]

Following on from Annie’s comprehensive response I eat chia/flax seeds every day. I had more chia seeds when on ondansetron to help with the side effect of constipation.

What else do you put in your smoothies?

[Jholly4]

Currently only fruit and oat milk ( my hubby is lactose intolerant) as my liver function has been abnormal since my surgery so have avoided supplements to date. Also make alot of veg soups for lunch to get lots of goodness in as started growing veg in garden this year so had batches to harvest and found soup an easy way to use it up or freeze it for later use.

[JacciJones]

I put them both in a coffee grinder and add a table spoon fill in my overnight oats every day also use them in cooking sometimes.

Yes they are great because they contain plant based omega 3.

The worries will be well outdated because it contains phytoestrogens (like soya) which are plant based oestrogen modulators. But they act very different to animal oestrogen (like in dairy and meat) because they actually block the uptake of oestrogen rather than add to it. livestrong.com/article/5326...

[Jholly4 in reply to JacciJones]

Thank you, I suspected this was the case but knew some of you amazing ladies would reassur me my reading had not sent me down the wrong route.

[Newbery3]

I add both to my cereal in the morning with a handful of blueberries and a bit of date syrup and almond milk 😋 yummmm x