The researchers recruited 29 postmenopausal women who suffered from hot flushes and refused to take oestrogen because of a perceived increased risk of breast cancer. They women were assigned to receive daily supplements of flaxseed consisting of 40 grams of crushed flaxseed for six weeks. Full data was obtained from 21 of the women.
Participants completed questionnaires regarding the frequency and severity of their hot flushes before and after the trial. Lead researcher Sandhya Pruthi and co-workers report that the frequency of hot flashes decreased 50 per cent over six weeks, and the overall hot flash score decreased an average 57 per cent for the women who completed the trial.
