Presence of phytochemicals and antioxidants has raised the nutritional as well as the therapeutic value of flaxseed, which also happens to be one of the richest sources of lignans. Our intestines convert these lignans into substances which are capable of balancing the female hormones.
So this implies that flaxseed can be effectively used against gynecological issues like menopause and menstruation and against breast cancer, a hormone related cancer. But the expectation may experience a setback with a new study claiming about the ineffectiveness of flaxseed in easing hot flashes among breast cancer patients and postmenopausal women.
The findings are contrary to the evidences which claim about the positive effects of lignans on fertility, peri-menopausal symptoms and even breast cancer. The study conducted by Mayo Clinic and The North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG), considered 188 women as its subjects between October and December 2009.
It was a randomized, placebo controlled study which failed to find any noteworthy difference in mean hot flash scores between the women who took flaxseed regularly and the ones who took a placebo. Mayo clinic investigators published a preliminary data in 2007, stating that the daily intake of 40 grams of crushed flaxseed may help provide a relief from hot flashes.
But the recent findings have made no such promises. According to Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's Breast Diagnostic Clinic and a researcher with NCCTG, "Hot flashes are a common symptom during the menopause transition or following breast cancer treatment. 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".
