Chia Seeds vs. Flaxseeds

What effect do chia seeds have on weight loss, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation?

We’ve been eating chia seeds for more than 5,000 years. Historically, they are one of the main crops grown in the Western hemisphere. They are exceptionally high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, though, like flaxseeds, it’s better to grind them up. As you can see at 0:26 in my video Which Are Better: Chia Seeds or Flaxseeds?, eating two tablespoons of whole chia seeds every day for ten weeks led to no change in omega-3 levels, but consuming the same amount of ground chia seeds did lead to a significant increase in blood levels of both short-chain and long-chain omega 3s. “Ingestion of…milled chia seed compared to whole chia seed or placebo… appeared to have no influence on inflammation or disease risk factors,” though. As well, there was no change in body fat, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, or any of the other markers of inflammation, as you can see at 0:47 in my video.

An earlier study purported to show a significant reduction in C-reactive protein levels (an indicator of systemic inflammation), compared to control. However, if you look closely at the data, you see that was only because there was a significant worsening in the placebo group who had been given a couple of tablespoons of wheat bran a day instead of chia. So it’s not that the chia group got significantly better; the control group just got significantly worse, as you can see at 1:22 in my video.

Whenever researchers appear to be exaggerating their results, that’s a red flag to check their funding source. In this case, they didn’t disclose any conflicts of interest. Five years later, however, the truth came out. The study was indeed funded by a chia company. Furthermore, the lead investigator had filed a patent to use chia seeds to treat diseases. Why wasn’t any of this disclosed when the study was originally published? Because the journal’s “conflict-of-interest policy did not specifically require the disclosure of such information.”

Regardless, the “patent has since been abandoned,” likely because subsequent studies found no significant benefits for weight loss, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, or inflammation after eating a quarter cup of chia seeds a day for three months, as you can see at 2:16 in my video. The original study, however, did show a significant drop in blood pressure, which was replicated by other researchers.

More potent effects have been found with ground flaxseeds, though. The primary reason I prefer flaxseeds over chia seeds is their lignan content, which averages about 15 times more than other seeds, including sesame and chia. This is thought to explain the anti-cancer effects of flaxseeds for both prevention and survival.

Still, chia seeds are certainly better than eggs and oil. By mixing one part chia seeds and nine parts water and letting it sit, you can create a chia gel that can be used as an egg or oil replacer in baked goods.

Who grinds chia seeds? Were you as surprised by that as I was?

For an update about the potential of chia seeds for weight loss, check out Do Chia Seeds Help with Belly Fat?

You can learn more about flax seeds and cancer from my videos, including:

To find out more about what flax seeds can do, check out:

In health,

Michael Greger, M.D.

PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch my live presentations:

2019: Evidence-Based Weight Loss
2016: How Not To Die: The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting, and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers
2015: Food as Medicine: Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet
2014: From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food
2013: More Than an Apple a Day
2012: Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

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