side effects - or harms of POMx and flexeed pills?

In another thread Bob has mentioned POMx pills and flexeed pills are helping him. I don't know how much will it help and am neither denying it nor accepting it - but I wanted to ask the forum - is there any "harm" in taking those?

i.e. are there any known side effects in old age from these? If not - I would like to start it along with my multivitamin and Vitamin D pills.

What are your recommendations against it?

Thanks
Ein

From what I have read pomegranate capsules are extremely safe, my father is taking 500mg daily. Flaxseed oil was criticized by Dr.Myers (he wrote a book about it) in that Omega-3 fatty acids in this oil are not processed well by a male organism, basically he called it a useless source of Omega-3. He recommends fish, instead. On the other hand, flaxseed itself (the whole seed) does have some lignans that have been proven to have some benefit against prostate cancer, but again, not sure how strong this evidence is.

ein said... What are your recommendations against it? Ein, just a brief comment on your post. I’m not a medical researcher and I don’t give “recommendations,” but I’ll give you the commonly available wisdom for PC… If you want to use flaxseed, use the whole ground flaxseed and not the flaxseed oil . The whole flaxseed is an outstanding plant source of omega-3 fatty acids and lignans which produces phytoestrogens (protective against prostate cancer), and increases apoptosis (cancer cell death). A tablespoon of ground flaxseed per day is typical; but forego the oil. HERE ’s a Mayo Clinic reference FYI. Be careful of overdoing multivitamins. The problems seem to lie in some of constituent components; calcium, for example, in amounts exceeding 2000 mg daily have been associated in multiple studies with elevated risk of PC. Vitamin D is beneficial, but mega-dosing not under a doctor’s care can be bad for PC. Many PC specialists are recommending against multivitamins, and recommend taking a daily maintenance dose of Vit D instead. I’ve seen absolutely no harms in pomegranate published…only benefits (in many areas, including PC). What most doctors recommend, and what I personally try to follow, is to use supplements as supplements . Try hard to eat an intelligent, colorful diet. Reduce or eliminate animal fats (fatty red meats and high-fat diary, which both stimulate prostate cancer growth). Avoid transfats. Use olive oil instead of corn or canola oil. Increase fresh fish intake (avoid fried fish). Enjoy tomato products (high in lyc opene), which includes pizza souce, tomato paste and ketchup. Increase fresh fruit, herb and vegetable consumption…think “color.” And lastly, enjoy a glass or red wine daily, or grape juice, or pomegranate juice. Bon appétit!

Ein,  Johns Hopkins conducted a small study on POMx.  They compared a 1000mg dose to a 3000mg dose over 18 months.   Mild to moderate diarrhea was seen in 8 pts (almost all were on the higher dose of POMx.)  No other side effects were reported.   Carlos

The only side effect I've had to any of the usual suspects is my wallet seems lighter.

142 said...

My PSA is rising (doubling at 50 days).

Sorry - I never appreciated that fact from your posts in my last 2 months here. I always assumed that your PSA is in check after the radiation.