By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
THE FACTS
Chia Pets
— those terra-cotta figurines that sprout fuzzy green hair — made the chia plant a household name. But chia has gained an entirely new reputation as a diet supplement.
Diet books and fitness gurus promote the plant’s seeds as an appetite suppressant, and health food stores and Web sites sell them by the pound. Chia seeds, which are native to Mexico and Guatemala and were cultivated by the Aztecs, are certainly chock-full of nutrition: a single serving, about an ounce (28 grams), delivers 4 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber, which is supposedly the key to its weight-loss magic.
But there is little evidence that it lives up to that claim. In one study in 2009, a team of researchers randomly split 76 overweight and obese men and women into two groups. One group was given 25 grams of chia seeds twice a day, and the other was given a placebo. After 12 weeks, the scientists found no significant difference between the groups in appetite or weight loss.
Another team that reviewed the scientific evidence on chia came to a similar conclusion: There was no indication of “any effects” on weight loss. Nor did the researchers find much evidence supporting other health claims linked to the plant, like cardiovascular benefits. They noted that while chia is generally safe for consumption and a healthy addition to most diets, “further rigorous examination” of its effects as a supplement is needed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is little evidence that chia seeds or supplements promote weight loss.
ANAHAD O’CONNOR scitimes@nytimes.com
Source: The New York Times