Chia seeds are a compact and highly nutritious product that have recently been touted as a modern superfood. However, the history of chia as an important food source goes back to the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. Recent studies conducted on chia seeds reveal that this small but dense seed does indeed have a number of beneficial properties and may even play an important role in the prevention and management of many modern-day health concerns.
History
Chia seeds come from a variety of the sage plant (Salvia hispanica) that was cultivated by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations and was considered so important that Aztec priests accepted the seed as tribute. Aztec warriors used chia seeds as a concentrated source of energy and could go for 24 hours on just a teaspoon of them. Chia is still used by many indigenous groups in Mexico, and the Tarahumara Indians of Copper Canyon, known for their high endurance runners, make a gel out of chia and water, which they use as food to sustain them on the trail.
Weight Loss
Chia seeds are touted on the Internet as a food that promotes weight loss and healthy body weight, which may be due to their high omega-3 content. A study done at the University of Arizona and published in the journal Poultry Science in 2002 found that chickens who were fed chia seeds as part of their diet had lower body weight indexes and a higher ratio of healthy omega-3 fats in their blood.
Diabetes and Heart Health
In an article published by the American Diabetes Association in the November 2007 edition of the journal Diabetes Care, researchers tested the effects of chia seeds on adults suffering from type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that not only may chia seed play a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes but that it seemed to improve risk factors involved in cardiovascular health, which is a major complication in people with diabetes.
Nutrition
Chia seeds have long been considered a nutritious food by the traditional societies that cultivated them, and now science seems to validate that claim. In a study published in March 2008 in the journal Food Chemistry, researchers found that chia seeds are high in dietary fiber and contain strong antioxidant values, including high amounts of the polyphenol quercetin. In fact, chia seeds were found to posses equal antioxidant activity to a commercial antioxidant supplement.
Potential
Chia seeds were once a healthy, nutritious part of the daily diet of some of the world's greatest civilizations. Since they also seem to protect against some of the most common ailments that affect modern industrialized society, such as obesity and diabetes, reintroducing the ancient art of chia cultivation on a large scale may be a valuable addition to the global movement toward healthy food security.
Tags: found that, body weight, chia seeds, researchers found, researchers found that, role prevention, seeds were