About Flaxseed and Estrogen

According to the Mayo Clinic, flaxseed and its derivatives, flaxseed oil, flour and meal, have been studied and found to contain nutrients that have a variety of health benefits. The effect on the health of women, specifically regarding estrogen and hormone levels, is notable.

Background

• Flaxseeds are high in lignans, compounds that are converted by the body into the hormones enterolactone and enterodiol. These hormone-like agents affect the way that estrogen is processed in women.

Benefits

• Eating about an ounce of ground flaxseed each day will affect estrogen levels, which can have many health benefits, including reducing the risk of breast cancer, increasing regularity of ovulation, reducing breast pain and reducing menopausal symptoms.

Future

• Studies have not described the potential benefits of flaxseed on estrogen levels in detail, they have just scratched the surface as of 2010, according to the Mayo Clinic.