Comments on: 10 Best Superfoods For Men and 1 You Should Definitely Avoid

By: Nina

Nina — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:52:30 +0000

Good read. I don’t understand one thing though. You tout pumpkin seeds as a good source of L- Arginine.

But in you other article “L Arginine Foods: 12 Highest Sources”, pumpkin seeds are not even on that list? Not even top 12?

By: Superfoodly

Superfoodly — Thu, 18 May 2017 23:56:01 +0000

In reply to Joe Caner. To best of knowledge there have not yet been full human studies to measure exact effects, but plenty of piecemeal data like this case study on a 31 year-old woman that's worth reading: "Findings suggest that flaxseed may have a profound impact on testosterone levels..." Though like you said, flax is the lesser problem relative to many foods in the typical Western diet. We just felt it's important to point out flax because so many demonize soy, while unaware of the possible risk of flax. Thanks for contributing your comments!

By: Joe Caner

Joe Caner — Tue, 16 May 2017 14:28:05 +0000

Agreed. One would imagine that most men would prefer not to be castrated chemically or otherwise. That being said, are you aware of any specific research which have shown that these effects. I will of course do some research myself, and in the interim mix some more chia seeds into my diet in preference to some of the flax seeds that I am currently consuming. Regards, Joe

By: Superfoodly

Superfoodly — Mon, 15 May 2017 17:19:14 +0000

In reply to Joe Caner.

Agreed that “estrogen estrogens” from dairy and meat are a major concern. The data on many xenoestrogens (like BPA) is concerning, but way overhyped. Based on the data, the estrogen coming from animal-based foods (e.g. milk and cheese) is more alarming than BPA, yet no one talks about it.

As far as the potential for anti-cancer benefits from phytoestrogen, castrating yourself would also dramatically lower your risk for prostate and other cancers… but that might be worse than getting cancer, right?

In short, there are a plethora of plant-based foods which have even more exciting cancer research behind them and without hormone-replicating compounds. Those would be preferable for men versus flax. Check out PubMed database to see for yourself the potentially harmful effects flaxseeds have demonstrated in research, or at least harmful for males.

By: Joe Caner

Joe Caner — Mon, 15 May 2017 13:44:37 +0000

Unless research can be sited to the contrary, it would seem misguided to cast aspersions against flaxseeds because it contains phytoestrogens. Flaxseeds have been shown to have a host of beneficial health benefits for both men and women. The following summary regarding phytoestrogens can be found on NutritionFacts.org:

“Phytoestrogens appear to be helpful in the prevention of diabetes and cancers of the colon, liver, brain, breast, ovaries, and skin. “Bad” cholesterol appears to be reduced, cardiovascular risk decreased, and weight loss increased when they are consumed. Soy phytoestrogens do not decrease male fertility; however, xenoestrogens, which are found mainly in fish, have been shown to drastically lower sperm counts. Replacing dairy with soy may decrease abdominal fat”

While flaxseeds boasts a bevy of benefits for both men and women:
“Flax is the #1 whole-food source of lignans with 800 times more lignans than any other food. The phytonutrient is associated with prolonged survival in cancer patients, especially breast cancer. Flax seeds may be beneficial in suppressing the growth of breast and prostate cancers because when consumed, tumor cell proliferation drops, cancer cell death increases and the c-erbB2 score is reduced. Combining flax with dietary fat restriction may have an even greater effect on prostate cancer.”

Men and women should be much more concerned with actual estrogen estrogens, xenoestrogens, found in dairy and meat which have been shown to promote cancer and man boobs…