BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota State University research study is examining the use of flax as a potential tool against colon cancer.

Chandradhar Dwivedi, head of the SDSU College of Pharmacy's pharmaceutical sciences department, said the flax research came out of his curiosity about a different crop, mustard.

Dwivedi, who grew up in northeastern India, said most cooking in that region was done in mustard oil, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer was very low.

"So in the back of our minds we had the idea for generations that mustard must be good for you," he said in release.

Dwivedi said when he entered the fields of science and research, he grew curious about what is in mustard and found that about 24 percent of it is Omega-3 fatty acid.

American mustard used on hot dogs has the fatty acids taken out, so Dwivedi decided to work with flax, which has a higher percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids.

He chose flaxseed meal, which has not only Omega-3 fatty acids but also chemicals known as lignans, which have been reported to be cancer chemopreventive.

Dwivedi conducted experiments looking at whether flax prevents chemically induced colon cancer, and he also included flax in the diets of mice that have a genetic mutation to spontaneously develop intestinal cancer.

He said his initial research has shown that both flaxseed oil and flax meal did help prevent colon cancer development, and he presented an overview of his findings at the 62nd Flax Institute of the United States, held in March in Fargo, N.D.

The research is partially funded by the North Dakota Oilseed Council.

North Dakota was the nation's flax production leader in 2007 by a large margin, followed by Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota, according to the Agricultural Statistics Service.