The Benefits of Flaxseed for Menopause

The Mayo Clinic defines menopause as "the permanent end of menstruation and fertility" that takes place over 12 months after a woman's last period. Symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, decreased fertility, mood swings and trouble sleeping. While hormone replacement therapy options generally use strong estrogen versions that can dramatically increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer. Flaxseed is a grass-like plant that contains plant chemicals beneficial to menopausal women and laboratory animal studies have found that flaxseed may also help decrease the risk of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It can be taken in oil form, taken in natural seed form or baked into foods.

May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

• Flaxseed may help reduce breast cancer risk.

  Among flaxseed's ingredients is a group of chemicals called lignans which may protect the body from cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Lignans are especially beneficial to menopausal women. When ingested lignans are converted into compounds that act in a similar fashion to estrogen compounds in the body. They perform the same functions as estrogen but on a diminished scale. This allows women to safely replace estrogen without the health risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The development of breast cancer is a possibility from using HRT, which requires the use of strong versions of estrogen. Doses of such strong estrogen increases the risk of this type of cancer. The American Cancer Society also suggests that flaxseed may reduce the "stickiness and movement" of cancerous tumors in the breast.

May Reduce Osteoporosis Risk

• Flaxseed can help maintain bone health.

  Osteoporosis symptoms include structural bone tissue deterioration and loss of bone mass which causes bone fragility. This can lead to increased chance of wrist, spine, and hip fractures. Bone loss occurs most rapidly in the first few years after menopause and often happens to women only after menopause. This is referred to as postmenopausal osteoporosis. EurekaAlert cites animal studies published in the "International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health" that suggest flaxseed positively affects bone density and reduces osteoporosis symptoms. The possible presence of n-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil may help protect bone mineralization and matrix formation function the the body. Both of these processes are adversely affected by menopause. Further research into these possibilities is still needed.

Decreases Other Menopause Symptoms

• Flaxseed can also help menopausal symptoms like headaches.

  ClinicalTrials.gov is currently recruiting participants for trials to determine if flaxseed reduces the number and severity of hot flashes. Flaxseed has been shown to relieve the mood swings, sleep problems, headaches, anxiety, breast cysts, fluid withholding, occasional heavy bleeding and vaginal dryness also associated with menopause. The lignan content (which also makes flaxseed such a great source of phytogestrogen) in flaxseed is responsible for easing and reducing these symptoms. Eating four to six tablespoons of crushed flaxseed daily for six weeks is recommended to potentially reduce hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.