Health Benefits From Spruce Trees

As more people try to find new ways to stay healthy and live longer, spruce tree extract has come to the attention of health-conscious consumers. Norwegian spruce trees contain a chemical called lignan, which is found in many plant cell walls, most notably flaxseed and soy. Research suggests that lignans may be beneficial for breast cancer, prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as sexual/hormonally based conditions.

Why Spruce lignans?

• Spruce tree lignan gives formulators significant advantage in price, dosage and bioavailability. Bioavailability is the degree at which a drug or other substance is absorbed or becomes available at the site of physiological activity after administration.

  Lignans promote a weak estrogen-like activity in humans. Spruce lignans contain a compound called 7-hydroxymatairesinol (7-HMR), which converts into a mammalian lignan called enterolactone. Epidemiological studies have linked enterolactone to a reduced risk of certain hormone-related health conditions.

Prostrate cancer benefits

• Research commissioned by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Linnae, at the University of Insubria, Italy, has shed light on possible mechanisms for stopping the growth of prostate cancer with 7-HMR.

  Lead researcher Marco Cosentino explained, "Our data supports the notion that 7-HMR and to a greater extent its human metabolite enterolactone, may suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells ... in view of its well-established tolerability and bioavailability, 7-HMR represents a viable dietary supplement providing a suitable source for endogenous entrolactone that, in turn, may play a role in the promotion of prostate health."

Breast cancer benefits

• The link between lignan intake and circulating enterolactone has been established. Phytoestrogens help manage the health of peri- and postmenopausal women.

  The June 2006 issue of European Journal of Cancer Prevention concluded, "Using biomarkers of phytoestrogen intake, we confirmed the strong inverse association between enterolactone and premenopausal breast cancer risk as found with dietary intake estimates. This result gives support to the potential role of mammalian lignans for breast cancer prevention among premenopausal women in Western populations."

Menopause relief

• The U.S. clinical study conducted by Medicus research indicates that the use of 7-HMR supplements in postmenopausal women has cut the incidence of hot flashes by 53 percent.

Cardiovascular disease

• Diets with high levels of lignans are consistently associated with reductions in risk of cardiovascular disease. Although the results of prospective cohort studies consistently indicate that diets containing lignan rich foods are associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular disease risk, it is not yet clear whether lignans themselves are cardioprotective.

Sexual function and testosterone

• Because enterolactone inhibits the enzyme that is responsible for converting testosterone into estradiol (a potent estrogen), men can reduce excess estrogen while simultaneously increasing beneficial free testosterone. Lignans may help prevent the binding of sex hormone-binding globulin to testosterone. Free testosterone becomes available for more youthful sexual function.