The Promising Future of Chia, Salvia hispanica L.

Table 2

Human clinical trials of chia seed.

Duration	Mode of trial	Formulation	Results	Ref.
7 weeks	10 postmenopausal women	25 g chia seed/day	Polyunsaturated fatty acid content particularly ALA, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was elevated after supplementation with milled chia. The result was in agreement with previous studies conducted in hens, rats, and rabbits.	[18]
12 weeks	Single blinded with 76 subjects (placebo 37; chia seed 39)	25 g chia seed in 250 mL water twice/day	Although Nieman et al. have hypothesized that the high dietary fiber and ALA content in chia can promote human weight loss and reduce disease risk factors related to heart disease and obesity, no significant results on weight loss and disease risk factors even though the plasma level of ALA increased.	[19]
2 months	Randomized trial, with control diet (500 kcal for 2 weeks), 67 metabolic syndrome subjects (placebo 35; beverage 32)	Beverage of 235 kcal that contains soy protein, nopal, chia seed, and oat	Body weight loss and reduction of triglyceride and blood glucose levels.	[20]
120 minutes	Randomized, double-blind trial on 11 healthy subjects	50 g white bread containing either 0, 7, 15, or 24 g of chia seed	Reduced postprandial glycemia.	[21]