Anticancer Effects of Lignans

Abstract

Both epidemiological and experimental evidence is accumulating to show that a lignan-rich diet may reduce the risk of human breast cancer (BC). High serum and urine concentrations of enterolactone (ENL) have been correlated with a reduced risk of BC, and further, the anticarcinogenic effects of lignans have been demonstrated in animal models. This has raised considerable interest in health effects of lignans. Because of the limited supply of pure lignans and lack of toxicological data, however, no clinical trials have so far been conducted in effort to assess the anticarcinogenic effects of lignans in humans. Moreover, the mechanisms of their possible anticarcinogenic effects remain obscure.