by Marsha Quinn

Mayo Clinic researchers say that flaxseed can reduce the hot flashes experienced by postmenopausal women who do not take estrogen. This is important because a recent study have found a statistically significant increase in rates of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and pulmonary emboli in women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., Mayo Clinic specialist and the study’s primary investigator believes the research is important because of the side effects of HRT. Women are looking for alternatives to this therapy. “Hot flashes are a bothersome issue for women experiencing menopause,” says Pruthi. “We hope to find more effective nonhormonal options to assist women, and flaxseed looks promising.”

The study investigators enrolled 29 participants who were bothered by hot flashes but who did not take estrogen. They also had not received (in the preceding four weeks) antineoplastic chemotherapy, androgens, hormonal agents, or other herbal supplements, including soy.

Of the 29 participants, 21 completed the study. The participants were asked to score their hot flashes. The researchers said “The frequency of hot flashes decreased 50 percent over six weeks, and the overall hot flash score decreased an average 57 percent for the women who completed the trial. Participants also reported improvements in mood, joint or muscle pain, chills and sweating; which significantly improved their health-related quality of life.”

Flax is a native plant that grows from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to India. The erect annual plant was first cultivated in Egypt and grows to 120 cm tall. The seeds are used to produce linseed oil or flaxseed oil. The oil is a good source of nutritional omega-3 fatty acids. more on story

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