Pomegranate Seed Oil for Hot Flashes?

While phytoestrogens have gained attention as possible alternatives to hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, placebo-controlled studies have yielded mixed results.  Pomegranate seed oil is a very rich source of phytoestrogens.  In this prospective randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial, 81 postmenopausal women received two daily doses of either 30 mg pomegranate seed oil (PGS) or placebo.  The frequency of hot flashes decreased by 38.7% (P < 0.001) after 12 weeks of treatment with pomegranate seed oil and by 25.6% in the placebo group (P < 0.01). However, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.17).   The authors suggest that it may take a longer period of observation to demonstrate a difference between pomegranate seed oil and placebo.

Auerbach L, Rakus J, Bauer C, et al.  Pomegranate seed oil in women with menopausal symptoms: a prospective randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial.  Menopause 2012; 19(4):426-32.