Lignans are phyto-nutrients, a class of plant compounds beneficial to human health but not classified as vitamins. Lignans are a normal part of a healthy diet and widely distributed in foods and plants in small amounts. The most common dietary sources of lignans are unrefined grain products, seeds such as sesame and flaxseed and berries, fruits and vegetables.

The friendly bacteria in our intestines convert plant lignans into the "human" lignans, primarily enterolactone, that have a weak estrogen like activity. Estrogens are small molecules responsible for the controlling of many reactions in the body. When there are low estrogen levels in the body these weak lignan 'estrogens' make up some of the insufficiency. When natural estrogen is abundant, the lignan 'estrogens’ appear to reduce the activity of natural estrogen hormones by occupying the cellular estrogen-binding sites. As a result, recent research has shown that plant lignans may influence the development of tumors such as breast, prostate and colon cancers that depend on hormones to start and progress1,2,3. Lignans may also support good cardiovascular health4 and help to moderate other estrogen dependant conditions such as menopausal symptoms5 and osteoporosis6.

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1. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Dec;13(12):2084-9. Plasma enterolactone and breast cancer incidence by estrogen receptor status. Olsen A, Knudsen KE, Thomsen BL, Loft S, Stripp C, Overvad K, Moller S, Tjonneland A. Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Strandboulevarden 49, DK-2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark. anja@cancer.dk.

2. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2005 Mar;230(3):217-23. Anticancer effects of a plant lignan 7-hydroxymatairesinol on a prostate cancer model in vivo. Bylund A, Saarinen N, Zhang JX, Bergh A, Widmark A, Johansson A, Lundin E, Adlercreutz H, Hallmans G, Stattin P, Makela S. University of Turku, Functional Foods Forum, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.

3. J Nutr. 2005 Mar;135(3):598-602. Lignans are involved in the antitumor activity of wheat bran in colon cancer SW480 cells. Qu H, Madl RL, Takemoto DJ, Baybutt RC, Wang W. Department of Human Nutrition, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.

4. Arch Intern Med. 2003 May 12;163(9):1099-104. Risk of cardiovascular disease-related and all-cause death according to serum concentrations of enterolactone: Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Vanharanta M, Voutilainen S, Rissanen TH, Adlercreutz H, Salonen JT. Research Institute of Public Health, University of Kuopio, Harjulantie 1B, 70210 Kuopio, Finland.

5. Maturitas. 1995 Apr;21(3):189-95. Dietary flour supplementation decreases post-menopausal hot flushes: effect of soy and wheat. Murkies AL, Lombard C, Strauss BJ, Wilcox G, Burger HG, Morton MS. Brighton Medical Clinic, Brighton, Vic., Australia.

6. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2002 Mar;56(3):321-8. Relationships of urinary phyto-oestrogen excretion to BMD in postmenopausal women. Kim MK, Chung BC, Yu VY, Nam JH, Lee HC, Huh KB, Lim SK. Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.