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# Walnuts, flaxseeds help fight colorectal cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/walnuts_flaxseeds_colorectal_cancer_0803110630/
- Published: 2011-08-03T19:28:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:04:18.000Z
- Description: Mice carrying human colon cancer cells and fed walnut oil or flaxseed oil for six weeks had tumor growth rates 43 and 27 percent lower than corn-oil-fed mice, and final tumor mass 33 and 44 percent lower. Both oils lowered serum angiogenesis factors.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Food, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PH.D.

A new study released in the Jul 26, 2011 issue of Nutrition suggests that eating walnut oil and flaxseed oil may help cure colorectal cancer.

The study found that compared to corn oil fed mice, mice fed walnuts and flaxseed for six weeks had their cancer growth rate reduced by 43 and 27 percent, respectively. 

Corn oil has been found in the past to promote cancer growth, compared with other types of vegetable oils.

Walnuts were found in previous studies to have antiproliferative properties against cultured colon cancer cells. But no studies until now have ever been conducted to demonstrate this effect in vivo, according to authors of the study Nagel J.M. and colleagues from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

In this study, the researchers compared walnut oil and flaxseed oil with corn oil to examine how they affect the tumor growth rate in mice. Previous studies have already found flaxseed oil able to inhibit the colorectal cancer growth.

For the study, three groups of female nude mice that received HT-29 human colon cancer cells were fed a diet either with corn oil or flaxseed oil or walnut oil, which accounted for 19 percent of total calories, for six weeks.

In addition to reducing the tumor growth rate, walnuts and flaxseed also reduced the final cancer weight or mass by 33 and 44 percent, respectively. The difference in the anticancer effect between walnuts and flaxseed was insignificant.

The researchers further found what flaxseed oil and walnut oil had an effect on was not metabolic and hormonal profile nor serum antioxidants and inflammation. 

These dietary supplements compared to corn oil were found to reduce serum levels of angiogenesis factors. For example, walnut oil and flaxseed oil lowered the level of vascular endothelial growth factor by 30 and 80 percent, respectively.

Antiangiogenesis is a new way to treat cancer. The theory is that once the angiogenesis is stopped, no cancer can grow. The Food and Drug Administration has already approved antiangiogenic medications indicated to treat cancer like liver cancer.

According to Dr. William Li, foods that have been found antiangiogenic include green tea, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, apples, pineapple, cherries, red grapes, red wine, bok choy, kale, soy beans, ginseng, maitake mushroom, licorice, turmeric, nutmeg, artichokes, lavender, pumpkin, sea cucumber, tuna, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, grape seed oil, and dark chocolate.

Now the list of antiagiogenic foods needs to include flaxseed oil and walnut oil as well.

Colorectal cancer is diagnosed in 146,000 men and women in the United States each year and the disease kills about 50,000 annually in the country.

There are many things food consumers can do to reduce the risk. For instance, vitamin D sufficiency can help prevent colorectal cancer.