FlaxFx, A Research Study of the Effects of Flaxseed Lignans on Colon Health

Colorectal (CRC) cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and its incidence is rising in younger populations. Diet seems to affect risk for CRC.

Many parts of our diet are processed and modified by the microbes or bacteria in our gut. There are many different types of bacteria in our gut, each one of us has a "community" of different types and amounts of each type.

When we eat flaxseeds, certain types of bacteria will process them - producing compounds that can then affect our body. How much of these compounds are produced by each person depends on the "community" of bacteria in the gut.

Flaxseed and in certain nuts contain lignans, compounds that may have health benefits. Gut bacteria can convert the lignans into biologically active compounds that in animal models prevent the development of colon cancer. The investigators will study how these biologically active compounds affect colon cell-signaling pathways important to colorectal cancer risk.

Results from our study will bridge the current knowledge from animal studies and epidemiologic studies and may help to inform approaches for future CRC prevention.