Flaxseed Doesnt Cool Hot Flashes

ROCHESTER, Minn.New research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago suggests flaxseed does not reduce hot flashes among breast cancer patients and postmenopausal women. The findings contradict previous research that suggested flaxseed reduced hot flashes by 57 percent.

The researchers conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 188 postmenopausal women who ate a daily flaxseed bar for six weeks. They found no statistically significant difference in mean hot flash scores between women taking flaxseed and those taking a placebo.

Hot flashes are a common symptom during the menopause transition or following breast cancer treatment," said Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., of Mayo Clinics Breast Diagnostic Clinic and a researcher with North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) study. While our preliminary data from our 2007 pilot study showed a reduction in hot flashes associated with the consumption of ground flaxseed, our new study did not result in a significant decrease in hot flashes with eating flaxseed compared to placebo."