Chia Power

Chia, IBS, and Diverticulitis

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and/or Diverticulitis affect an estimated 14% of Americans! Pretty amazing considering that before the 1950s IBS was not recognized as a medical condition.

Symptoms include bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, etc. There is no cure, but symptoms may be treated with dietary changes and prescription medicines. Read more about it here and here.

Recently, several people have asked me about the effect that chia seeds might have on this condition. I don't claim to have sufficient medical background to address this point, but I always say that if your doctor recommends that you increase your intake of dietary fiber,  chia seeds can be a helpful addition to your diet.

Emily Morris (of www.mychiaseeds.com) has written this excellent article on the topic of preventing diverticulitis and achieving colon health with chia seeds. She agrees that it is the fiber, especially the soluble fiber, that can have the most beneficial effect.

News Flash: Chia seed does not promote weight loss or alter disease risk factors in overweight adults

This article in Nutrition ResearchJournal is something the chia distributors don't want you to read!!

Researchers in the Department of Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science at Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina recently published their results.

It's a small study, which 76 overweight/obese adult participants completed. Half of them took 50g (1 3/4 ounces) of chia seed every day for 12 weeks, and half of them took a placebo.

At the end of the study, this is the only significant difference that could be detected between the 2 groups: the bloodstreams of those who ate chia seeds contained 24% more α-linolenic acid (ALA, a form of omega-3 fatty acid).

There was no difference in:

• levels of DHA and EPA (the bio-active forms of omega-3 fatty acids)
• body composition (weight)
• inflammation, as measured by C reactive protein and 3 other tests
• oxidative stress
• blood pressure
• lipoproteins

They concluded that chia consumption "had no influence on body mass or composition, or various disease risk factor measures."
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Are you convinced that chia seeds do no good??

The results of scientific experiments often raise questions that lead to another scientific experiment. I wonder what experiment they will try next. Should they repeat this experiment to be sure it's correct? Should they try using Salba? Should they continue the experiment for 12 months instead of 12 weeks? Or should they stop here?

Diabetes and Chia

A freelance medical  writer and consultant specializing in diabetes, David Mendosa, has written several important articles about role that chia seed can play in controlling diabetes.

According to Mendosa, "chia’s soluble fiber has a much higher viscosity than other dietary fibers such as beta-glucan and guar. This means that it has significantly increased intestinal transit time, delayed gastric emptying, and a slower rate of glucose absorption."

He discusses the research of Vladimir Vuksan (also, see below) showing the effect of Salba, the white-seeded variety of chia, in reducing after-meal blood glucose, plasma insulin, blood pressure and inflammation.

See this December, 2007 article, which includes an interview with chia pioneer, Wayne Coates.

The article is also published at Mydiabetes Central.

Read both, because his readers' comments are generally informative and interesting.