Flaxseed no benefit for hot flashes

---

---

---

Flaxseed provides no benefit in easing hot flashes among patients with breast cancer and postmenopausal women, as per a Mayo Clinic and North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) study. The randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 188 women between October and December 2009 and found no statistically significant difference in mean hot flash scores between women taking flaxseed and those taking a placebo. Preliminary data published in 2007 by Mayo Clinic researchers suggested consuming 40 grams of crushed flaxseed daily might help manage hot flashes.

VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources are available at the Mayo Clinic News Blog. Password: Pruthi.

The scientists presented their new findings during the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

"Hot flashes are a common symptom during the menopause transition or following breast cancer therapy," says Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's Breast Diagnostic Clinic and a researcher with NCCTG. "While our preliminary data from our 2007 pilot study showed a reduction in hot flashes linked to the consumption of ground flaxseed, our newly released study did not result in a significant decrease in hot flashes with eating flaxseed in comparison to placebo".

Dr. Pruthi says patients shouldn't give up flaxseed if they enjoy it. Flaxseed appears to be beneficial for people who want to add fiber and bulk to their diet to manage constipation, she says. Dr. Pruthi says more studies are needed to identify whether flaxseed has any other health benefits.


Posted by: Emily    Source