Does drinking half a cup of strained flaxseed water on an empty stomach remove Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which can cause gastritis and even cancer, from the body? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence to support this claim. A 2019 study on the eradication rates of H. pylori showed that the use of flax seed had no significant effect.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on March 6, 2024. It opened (translated from Serbian to English by Lead Stories staff):
Eliminate Helicobacter pylori with just one ingredient. Put two tablespoons of flaxseed in the glass. Pour two cups of boiling water over it. Close the jar tightly and leave it overnight. Strain in the morning. Drink half a cup on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before meals. The mucilage extracted from the seeds has a positive effect on the stomach.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Mar 13 08:45:42 2024 UTC)
H. pylori (archived here) is a spiral bacterium found on the lining of the human stomach. It is the only bacterium that can survive in the extremely acidic environment of the stomach, with very little oxygen, at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. It can cause inflammation in the stomach lining or the upper part of the small intestine. It plays a significant role in the development of chronic gastritis, and gastric and duodenal ulcers, and is also responsible for the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and low-grade MALT lymphomas, a lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. This is why H. pylori is included in the list of class one carcinogens (archived here).
Helicobacter infections are common, and about two-thirds of the world population (archived here) has the bacteria in the body. For most people, however, it does not cause any symptoms. H. pylori bacteria infections (archived here) are usually caused by the bacterium passing from person to person through direct contact with saliva, vomit or stool. They are usually treated with antibiotics and medicine that protects the stomach wall and reduces acid production. H. pylori may also be spread through contaminated food or water. The risk factors for infection are related to living conditions, such as crowded conditions, lack of clean water or living with a person who has an H. pylori infection.
Although flaxseed has some therapeutic benefits (archived here), mainly due to its unique chemical composition, there is no scientific evidence that flaxseed has any effect on H. pylori. A 2019 study on H. pylori eradication rates (archived here) showed that the use of flaxseed had no significant effect.
