This Endolife

Listener question: “Is flaxseed good or bad for endo? There is so much mixed info out there about it around increasing / decreasing eostrogen. Is there a better type of flaxseed - oil, roasted seeds, ground seeds, tablets high in flax?” Okay, I’m glad you asked this question because it comes up a lot and it’s not a straightforward answer. Flax is a type of phytoestrogen. A phytoestrogen is a type of plant compound which chemically is similar to oestrogen but isn’t a form of oestrogen and due to the similar structures, phytoestrogens can bind to oestrogen receptors in the body. When people hear this, they worry and think that means that it’ll increase oestrogen levels, when typically, the opposite is true. Phytoestrogens do not have the same strength as oestrogen, their oestrogenic effects are much weaker than oestrogen, so in theory, by binding to an oestrogen receptor, they are blocking real oestrogen levels, which is great if you’re someone who struggles with oestrogen dominance or high oestrogen levels. Re