Many women suffer from hot flashes during menopause or chemotherapy or following removal of their ovaries. They aren't harmful, but hot flashes are uncomfortable and can interfere with your ability to get a good night's sleep. Flax seed is readily available in health food stores and online, and a preliminary study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in 2007 suggested that flax seed may help alleviate hot flashes. Further research by the Mayo Clinic, however, found no benefit in taking flax seed for hot flashes.
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are an uncomfortable condition that women often suffer when they are going through hormonal changes. Eighty-five percent of U.S. women experience hot flashes just before menopause and during the first year or two after they stop menstruating. They happen because the hypothalamus in the brain, which regulates body temperature, is affected if estrogen levels drop very much. Women who have hot flashes report symptoms such as a hot feeling, sweating, flushing, rapid heart beat and nausea. The symptoms of hot flashes and their severity vary from person to person; hot flashes can be a minor annoyance or an embarrassing and very disruptive experience. Women who suffer from hot flashes often seek out natural remedies to relieve their symptoms.
Flax Seed
Flax seed, also called flaxseed, is the seed from the flax plant, which probably originated in Egypt and now also grows in the U.S. and Canada. People have long used flax seed as a source of fiber, and it also contains fatty acids that may help lower cholesterol or be beneficial for people with heart disease, although The National Institutes of Health says that research on flax seed's cardiovascular benefits is still inconclusive. People also use flax seed to prevent cancer, but the National Institutes of Health reports that research does not support flax seed's ability to prevent any type of cancer.
Hot Flash Relief
If you suffer from hot flashes, keep a journal of when they occur and in which situations so that you can identify what helps trigger your hot flashes. According to BreastCancer.org, common triggers include stress, caffeine, alcohol, diet pills and spicy food. BreastCancer.org suggests strategies such as dressing in layers, lowering the thermostat, wearing cotton clothing and sleeping on cotton sheets. Eating a low-fat diet and maintaining a healthy weight also seem to help. Vitamin E or vitamin B 6 supplements may help some women, and women with severe hot flashes can opt for hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, or prescription medications. Since HRT and prescription medications come with risks, it is safer to control hot flashes with lifestyle changes if possible.
Flax Seed Research
A small preliminary study led by Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, M.D. of the Mayo Clinic in 2007 suggested that 40 gm per day of crushed flax seed may help manage hot flashes, but the Mayo Clinic announced in June 2011 that a larger study showed no benefit of flax seed on hot flashes. Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky recommends ground flax seed as a laxative and a source of omega-3 fatty acids. In a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, registered dietician LeAnne Bloedon found that ground flax seed reduced "bad" cholesterol and insulin resistance in study participants. The study also found that flax seed reduced "good" cholesterol in men, however, and Bloedon recommends further research on this effect.
References
- BreastCancer.org; All about Hot Flashes
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Flaxseed and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Results from a Double Blind, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial; Bloedon, L.T. et al; Feb. 2008; Bloedon, L.T. et al; Feb. 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Mayo Clinic: Flaxseed No Cure for Hot Flashes during Breast Cancer or Menopause; June 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Does Ground Flaxseed Have More Health Benefits than Whole Flaxseed?; Zeratsky, Katherine, R.D., L.D.; Jan. 2010
- National Institutes of Health; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Flaxseed;
- National Institutes of Health; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil; May 2006
