When it comes to treating hot flashes in breast cancer patients and post-menopausal women, flaxseed has no benefit. That’s the finding by researchers at Mayo Clinic and the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG). "Hot flashes are a common symptom during the menopause transition or following breast cancer treatment," says Sandhya Pruthi, MD, of Mayo Clinic's Breast Diagnostic Clinic and a researcher with NCCTG. "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." The researchers presented their new findings during the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.