Does flaxseed cool hot flashes? What surprising new study says

(CBS) Got hot flashes? A new study throws cold water on the idea that taking flaxseed will bring relief. It showed that flaxseed was no better than a dummy pill at curbing the flashes in breast cancer patients and post-menopausal women - contradicting a previous study that suggested flaxseed might help.

"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," Mayo breast cancer specialist Dr. Sandhya Pruthi said in a written statement.

For the new study, conducted between October and December 2009, 188 women with hot flashes ate either a bar containing flaxseed or a placebo bar once a day for six weeks. About a third of the women in each group experienced reductions in hot flashes, meaning there was no extra benefit from flaxseeds. And women in both groups experienced side effects, including diarrhea, nausea, and bloating.

Flaxseeds are a rich source of ligans, estrogen-like compounds that the researchers had thought might bring hot flash relief.

But no such luck.

"It's unfortunate because these are such common problems, not just in breast cancer survivors but in postmenopausal women in general," Dr. Joanne E. Mortimer, director of women's cancer programs at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., told HealthDay. Added Mortimer, who was not involved in the study, "These poor women have one less option."

WebMD has more about hot flashes.