CH-CH-CH-Chia!

2 CommentsWednesday • August 1, 2012 • by cfprovidence

Why Chia? An investigation into the latest nutrition trend.

by CFP Intern: Gwen Schoch

Looking around the CrossFit gym or even Blackstone Boulevard’s running path it isn’t hard to notice everyone’s flashy minimalist footwear. The Vibram sole seems to have a monopoly. As a runner, I attribute this trend to Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run, which explores the Tarahumara tribe of super endurance athletes in Mexico’s Copper Canyon that run with merely a strip of tire protecting their feet. However, this book began more than just a shoe phenomenon; it reignited a movement surrounding the Chia Seed.

Google Chia seed and results will pop up including Walmart, Pintrest Boards, Dr. Oz, NPR, etc. All signs point to the next big nutrition trend. NPR’s story entitled Chewing Chia Packs A Superfood Punch makes the superfood claim, an association seen throughout the media. McDougall introduces a Tarahumara drink containing Chia as a “gooey slime that looked like rice pudding without the rice, lots of black-flecked bubbles I was pretty sure were frog eggs mid-hatch”[1]. Despite the less than complimentary physical description, he goes on to quote Lumholtz in saying that after drinking this liquid he “felt new strength, and,… climbed the great height without much effort”.[2] McDougall himself calls the Tarahumara mixture “home-brewed Red Bull” and compares one tablespoon of Chia to “a smoothie made from salmon, spinach, and human growth hormone”.[3]

Given these claims, it’s tempting to figure out exactly what this little seed has to offer. What is true and what is blown out of proportion by the media? McDougall himself even lets readers believe this food will allow one to accomplish physical feats outside of your own abilities. But, as we all know from the harsh reality that stares us in the face every time we enter the gym or strap on our hiking boots, nothing can provide such immediate results.

Table 1 Comparison of Nutrition Facts for Chia seed and Golden Flaxseed[4]

What makes Chia seeds different than other popular seeds like Flax? The nutrition facts can’t lie. In comparing 32g of Golden Flax and Chia seed, the two have relatively equal caloric density. The major points of divergence appear in saturated fat, sodium, potassium and dietary fiber content.

The public has a negative association with sodium given the rise of heart and kidney diseases, so Chia having no sodium gives it a competitive sales edge. However, as many athletes know, sodium is essential for water retention, as well as ensuring quick muscular responses at the nervous system level.[5] The Mayo Clinic says one should limit sodium intake to 2300mg per day[6], therefore it seems both the Chia and Flax seed will not lead to high blood pressure of heart strain due to their low amounts of sodium.

Dietary Fiber is probably something most people skim right over as they peruse the nutrition facts, however this is where many of Chia’s benefits come into play. It is suggested that males under fifty consume 38g of fiber, while females 25g daily.[7] Fiber has been proven to decrease cholesterol levels and slow down the absorption of sugar. The latter attribute will help athletes avoid an energy “bonk” and help extend satiation. Chia has 12.3g of dietary fiber, compared to Flaxseed’s 9g in 32g of the product. This does give Chia more staying power.

Flaxseed has significantly more potassium than the Chia seed. Potassium works to get rid of excess sodium in the body, helping decrease chances for high blood pressure. A Colorado State University source recommends a daily intake of 4.7g of potassium per day, or eating equal amounts of sodium and potassium.[8]  Eating potassium can also help athletes avoid muscle cramping.[9]

Although flaxseeds have 91mg of potassium, Chia seed’s 10mg’s are closer in relation to the 0mg of sodium found in Chia. Because sodium and potassium work together, it is recommended to balance their intake. Chia strikes this balance whereas if you are eating flaxseeds, additional sources of sodium should be eaten.

The one noteworthy advantage the Chia seed has over the flaxseed is dietary fiber content, but the seeds seem comparable in many ways. Depending on your specific dietary needs, one could be better than the other, however there is no one reigning champion of the superfood status. There are other criteria, which the two can be compared, but I will leave that comparison up to you!

It is good to remember that seeds are just that, seeds, and are meant to be planted not eaten.  Therefore, the seeds have mechanisms which dissuade them being eaten. As a result do we recommend making seeds a staple of the diet? No. First off, why not.  As with any seed, all seeds are typically high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are inflammatory.  Seeds also have other gut irritants which could elicit a slight immune/inflammatory response.  They do have a lot of omega-3′s as well, like flax, however, the type of omega-3 is not the type needed by humans and our bodies are not extremely efficient at converting the ALA type found in Chia to the EPA type needed by us (Women do convert it better than men, however, 21% conversion to 8% conversion), extremely inferior to a good quality fish oil.  Lastly, there has been no conclusive studies which show that eating chia will improve health outcomes.

Is there, or could there be some benefit for eating Chia?  Maybe.  Adding fiber to the diet is always a good thing.  In terms of any studies done on some magical intervention that Chia holds, there is none.  Yes, the Tarahumara thrive on Chia, however, most of us are not Tarahumara, and therefore do not have any possible epigenetic or heredity factors that they may have adapted which allows for them to thrive, and their diets go far deeper than just eating chia.  As a general recommendation, if you want to add chia to your diet, do it sparingly, it should be a crunchy garnish to your whole fat local yogurt (in those of you who are dairy adapted), or as a topping to salads.  If you want to start subsisting on Chia, the likelihood of thriving on that diet is slim.

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