Hot flash symptoms may be not lessened by the intake of flaxseed, with new research out Sunday showing its ineffectiveness in reducing hot flashes among menopausal women.
The study’s lead author is Sandhya Pruthi, associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
She said, "The results were surprising. Pilot study data suggested that flaxseed use was associated with reduction in hot flashes.”
"Flaxseed may be a highly touted supplement for many ills, but according to our randomized study results, it is not effective for hot flashes," Pruthi wrote.
Hot flashes, which are common symptoms during menopause and also occur following hormonal breast cancer treatment, can have a serious effect on quality of life.
Estrogen therapy is sometimes effective at reducing hot flashes, but many women are fear the risks of cancer risks linked to hormonal therapy, Pruthi said.
Earlier evidence suggested that flaxseed could have some anti-estrogen properties, and a previous pilot study by the authors had show a 57 percent drop in hot flashes among women taking flaxseed.
The current study involved 188 postmenopausal women who for six weeks were were assigned to eat a daily flaxseed bar that contained 410 mg of lignans.
