Chia: Benefit Or Myth?

Why are chia seeds not a superfood, but just an expensive advertised pacifier? The truth about the content of vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids in chia.

Why are chia seeds not a superfood, but just an expensive advertised pacifier? The truth about the content of vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids in chia.

Chia seeds: what are they?

Chia seeds are the most popular and "super-healthy" food product of the last few years. According to the ad, “this 100% natural supplement contains an unprecedented amount of nutrients; chia overtakes milk in terms of calcium content, they contain 2 times more potassium than bananas, and 15 times more iron than spinach."

The advertising description of the beneficial properties of this magical seed raises the question of how it could exist and remain healthy without any chia seeds. However, is it really so useful for health and is it worth buying chia seeds for crazy money? As always, the answer is completely ambiguous.

The history of chia seeds

Until American marketers got involved in promoting the product, chia was known to the botanical community as "Spanish sage." Basically, chia is an inconspicuous steppe plant about 1-2 m tall with white or crimson flowers. It is the seeds of these flowers that are called "chia seeds".

The homeland of the plant is Central and Southern Mexico. Before the conquest of the Mayan civilization by the Spanish colonizers in the 1500s, chia was one of the key products in the daily diet of the Aztecs, along with corn, beans, amaranth (a pseudo-cereal crop that resembles buckwheat and quinoa), as well as mate tea.

Properties of chia seeds

The ancient Aztecs believed that the use of a decoction of ground chia seeds is not only able to cure diseases of the respiratory tract (from cough to serious lung diseases accompanied by coughing up blood), but also helps to normalize digestion and eliminate long-term diarrhea.

The healing properties of chia resemble those of common sage, its close relative. Tea made from fragrant sage leaves was widely used both in ancient Greece and in ancient Egypt. Hippocrates called sage a "sacred herb" and advised using sage tea to strengthen and rejuvenate the body.

Useful properties of sage

In traditional medicine, it is believed that sage has a strong antibacterial effect, relieves inflammation, increases immunity and acts as a mild diuretic. Among other things, sage tea is used as an effective sedative and as a tool to normalize female hormones during menopause.

Modern scientific research proves that sage not only normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract (for example, improves appetite, eliminates bloating, relieves symptoms of gastritis), but can also be used as a natural antidepressant(1). The main contraindications are diabetes and pregnancy.

Chia seeds: the science

But back to chia seeds. There is a huge amount of modern scientific research that says that chia is not able to show the effect attributed to it in advertising. It does not lower blood pressure at all, does not reduce the level of inflammation in the body, does not affect cholesterol or the level of triglycerides in the blood(2).

The only useful property of chia seeds confirmed by science is a slight decrease in appetite when they are used, which, indirectly, can affect the reduction of caloric content of food and getting rid of excess weight. However, this effect is more likely due to the fact that chia seeds are just a mixture of fiber, vegetable fats and proteins.

Composition of chia: minerals

Despite the fact that 100 grams of chia seeds really contain 82% of the daily norm of magnesium, 63% of the norm of calcium and 42% of the norm of iron, advertising still misleads us. One hundred grams of chia is the typical size of the package in which these seeds are packaged. A tablespoon with a slide (about 10 g) will contain exactly 10 times less microminerals.

That is why it is absolutely incorrect to compare chia seeds with a banana or milk - in fact, a large glass of milk contains as much calcium as 100 g of chia seeds (however, the price of this milk is many times lower). Simply put, a teaspoon of chia seeds is not capable of bringing any significant amount of minerals into the human body.

Chia seeds as a source of Omega-3

Another advertising claim about the benefits of chia seeds is their high content of Omega-3 fats. The label says that 100 g of this seed contains up to 17 g of Omega-3 — the same amount as a large salmon steak. However, the difficulty is that chia contains plant-based Omega-3s, while salmon contains animal-based omega-3s.

Scientific studies show that no more than 5-10% of Omega-3 vegetable fats (in the form of α-Linolenic acid, or ALA) can be absorbed by the human body(3). In fact, a tablespoon of chia seeds is equivalent to only 0.3-0.5 g of fish oil, which is less than a standard capsule. It is important to take this into account when calculating the daily consumption of Omega-3.

Chia seeds are a magical "superfood" that does not have any magical properties. Most of the statements about the benefits of chia refer to its native sage, and the information about the "unprecedented" amount of minerals and Omega-3 only misleads the buyer, since it assumes 100 g of dry seeds.

Scientific sources:

1. Salvia officinalis: WebMD, source
2. Salvia hispanica: Examin.com, source
3. Efficiency of conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to long chain n-3 fatty acids in man, source