Abstract
Lignans and their in vivo metabolites, especially enterolactone (ENL), have attracted substantial interest as potential chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer. Preclinical and clinical interventions performed with lignan-rich flaxseed that use surrogate biomarkers as endpoints suggest that lignans may attenuate prostate carcinogenesis in individuals with increased risk or with diagnosed cancer. No unequivocal prostate cancer risk reduction has been found for lignans in epidemiological studies, suggesting that lignan concentrations found in populations consuming a regular non-supplemented diet are not chemopreventive in prostate cancer. Presumably, the main obstacles in assessing the efficacy of food lignans is limited knowledge of the serum and tissue lignan concentrations required for the putative prevention. Further clinical studies performed with the purified compounds are required to substantiate a health claim.
Highlights
According to the 2005 WHO Global Infobase prostate cancer is the most common cancer and among the three leading causes of the cancer-related deaths in men in the North America and northernEuropean countries
Neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or any other cancer in The Physicians’ health study II [4] and blood lycopene concentrations of men with prostate cancer were not different from those in men without signs of prostate cancer [5]. These findings suggest that other components in diet are likely to account for the preventive effect against prostate cancer or that single agents, even in combinations, may be an ineffective approach to primary prevention of prostate cancer In Western diet, lignans and their in vivo metabolites, especially enterolactone (ENL), have gained substantial interest as potential chemopreventive agents
We summarize the findings of lignan-rich diets, isolated dietary lignans, and ENL on prostate cancer in epidemiological studies, clinical interventions and preclinical models
Summary
Asian countries to Europe and North America are associated with the change of the traditional Asian life-style and diet to the Western life-style and diet This suggests that environmental, dietary factors significantly influence the development and progression of prostate cancer [1,2]. Neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or any other cancer in The Physicians’ health study II [4] and blood lycopene concentrations of men with prostate cancer were not different from those in men without signs of prostate cancer [5] These findings suggest that other components in diet are likely to account for the preventive effect against prostate cancer or that single agents, even in combinations, may be an ineffective approach to primary prevention of prostate cancer.
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