Nuchia Foods

Volumen 9 No. 1
Enero-Marzo 2008

Salus cum propositum vitae

• Portada
• Número Actual
• Indice
• Información para los autores

PROTEIN DIGESTIBILITY OF CHIA SEED Salvia hispanica L

Rebeca Monroy-Torres, Maria Lourdes Mancilla-Escobar, Juan Carlos Gallaga-Solórzano*, Sergio Medina-Godoy**, Enrique Javier Santiago-García*.

Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Guanajuato. Departamento de Nutrición (León, Gto., México); *Laboratorio Estatal de Salud Pública de Guanajuato. Secretaría de Salud (Léon, Gto., México); **Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, CIIDIR-IPN, (Guasave, Sin., México)

E-mail: rmonroy79@yahoo.com.mx

Introduction

Alternatives sources of high quality protein are required by the accelerated increase of population, to exploited alternative food sources and also to obtain and additional benefice from its source. Chia, native to southern Mexico, was use by ancient Aztecs, Mexicans and habitants of Southern California and Arizona as food supplement for energy, endurance and strength needed under extreme conditions such as heat, dryness, short-term food, water deficiency and for medicine (1). About this crop the plant explorer Edward Palmer wrote (1871): “In preparing chia for use the seeds are roasted and ground, and the addition of water makes a mucilaginous mass several times the original bulk, sugar to taste is added, and the result is the much prized semi-fluid pinole of Indians and others—to me one of the best and most nutritive foods while traveling over the deserts (2)”.

Chia is a cereal composed of several species: Salvia polystachya, Hyptis suaveolens and Salvia hispanica L (3), the last one, currently harvested in a small scale in few Mexico´s states like Morelos, Puebla, Guerrero and Jalisco (4).

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By James H. BrownChía is a generic term used to describe a variety of unique

plants of Mesoamerica and the American Southwest. All

species of “Chía” are members of the cosmopolitan mint

family, Lamiaceae, and some are known as “sage”.

Different species of Chía can be found from southern

California to the high tableland of Mexico and further

south through Central America into northern South America. Chía species can be found from California on the western coast of the USA ranging east into western Texas.

The specific “Chía” of this report is Salvia hispanica L., [sometimes known as Salvia Chía (Gillet)], an annual herb, whose grains are about 2 mm. long, oval, and brown to black with irregular, dark red-brown markings. Interspersed is fully mature Chía grain without pigmentation (white Chía). It is cultivated on deep, sandy clay soils. Chía has been cultivated in Mexico by the Aztec and their descendants (McVaugh) since well before the conquering Spanish recorded its use and benefits in the Florentine Codex (Anderson). Linguistic use of the word “Chía” by the Aztec as a root word to describe something with an oily character (Chíactic), something greasy (Chíaoacaio), something having “serious fluids” (Chíauizaio) is further evidence of a long and continuous use of Chía within this society (Truman). Small family farms in Jalisco still produce Chía, albeit on an irregular basis and usually intercropped with a commodity crop such as corn. Chía is cultivated commercially in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.
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This study is must reading for anyone serious about studies on the manifold benefits of Chia Seeds to world health. It is possibly the most in dept study to date. Salba use this study to back up many of their claims. But if you read the complete text, you may come to the concussion that their claims are not completely backed up buy the available data. Even so this is still the most objective and complete study.

It points to the fact that a lot of additional study is needed. It is time to get our butts in gear. Let’s demand that our universities research departments get more involved in this. Who would be better to lead the charge than our fine universities. I will be contacting the land grant university in my area, which is the University of Central Florida. Each of you should do the same in your area. Without a push it want happen. It’s time for those of us who believe in Chia and want to get it in the market, to the people who can literally live better an healthier lives by eating this simple product, to become more aggressive.

The EFSA Journal (2005) 278,

Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products,
Nutrition and Allergies on a request from the
Commission related to the safety of chia (Salvia hispanica L.)
seed and ground whole chia seed as a novel
food ingredient intended for use in bread

(Request N° EFSA-Q-2005-059)

(adopted on 5 October 2005)

SUMMARY

This Opinion refers to an application for placing on theEuropean Union market of chia (Salvia hispanica L.)seed and ground whole chia seed as a novel food (NF)ingredient intended for use in bread.

The Panel has been requested to consider whetherthe authorisation of chia as a food ingredient for bread islikely to have an effect on public health and to focus on the concerns of a scientific nature raised by various MembersStates (MS). In particular, the Panel has been asked toaddress the question of whether the safety of chia maybe established without additional toxicological studies.

The compositional data on chia seeds provided by the applicant are not sufficient to perform a full nutritional assessment. From the data provided by the applicant there is no evidence of adverse effects of whole Chia Seed and whole ground chia seeds. There are uncertainties with regard to the potential allergenicity of chia. The presence in the
intended NF ingredient of constituents which might exert anti-nutritional or toxic effects cannot be excluded. Adequate toxicological information on chia seed is not available and the human data provided to the Panel are limited. Therefore the safety of chia cannot be established from the available information and additional studies are required.

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Diabetes Care 25:1869-1875, 2002

© 2002 by the American Diabetes Association, Inc.

Hi, just so that you don’t get lost in this study you can find Whitham et al. (1654-P) and her discussions on Chia Seeds in about paragraph 15, Whitham speaks on Chia/fiber/salvia hispanica l and its effects on diabetes. This is really good stuff. All the other information is great as well. This is a good all around study. Good reading. Homer L. Hartage, www.nuchiafoods.com

Diabetes and Nutrition

Zachary T. Bloomgarden, MD

Abbreviations:ADA, American Diabetes Association • CHD, coronary heart disease • CHO, carbohydrate • CVD, cardiovascular disease • DPP, Diabetes Prevention Project • UKPDS, U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study

This is the first in a series of articles covering the 2002American Diabetes Association Annual Meeting, which was held San Francisco, 14–18 June 2002.

Nutrition recommendations

Marion Franz (Minneapolis, MN) discussed the process used for the “evidence basing” approach for current American Diabetes Association (ADA) nutrition recommendations (1). “We have made some progress,” she pointed out, comparing the starvation treatment used in 1917 (composed of whiskey mixed with black coffee) with our current approaches. “There are many ways of approaching medical nutrition therapy” for persons with diabetes, she stated, which requires assessment of the individual’s goals and her/his ability to comply with a given recommendation. “The gold standard of research in nutrition has generally been a study in which food is provided to the subjects so that you can know what is being consumed,” she stated, but such studies are necessarily short in duration, and therefore may not be completely applicable to the “real world,” and must be extended by studies implemented in free-living subjects. Also, many questions have not been addressed in persons with diabetes and must be extrapolated from studies in persons with other conditions.

Franz referred to the studies on fiber as examples. Early studies showed a great deal of benefit, but “there are many variables. People lost weight, they changed the percentage of macronutrients, medications were changed, and yet all the benefit was ascribed to fiber.” More recent studies of high-fiber load approaches show only equivocal evidence, with benefit at fiber levels exceeding 50 g daily, far above the level of 20 g daily that can be attained in realistic circumstances, that has not been shown to be associated with improvement in lipids, glycemia, or insulin resistance. With newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, she stated, lifestyle change leads to a fall in HbA_1c of 2%, and with existing type2 diabetes, falls of 1% can be expected. These changes can be seen over 6–12 weeks, a realistic timeframe for intervention. As Franz pointed out, “At three months, if an individuals had made all the changes that they were willing or able to make [and had not a shown fall in glycemia], then, obviously, medicationswould need to be changed.” She recommended this approach ratherthan using one “ADA diet,” since “handing out these diet sheets to people is rarely effective”; more individualized medical nutrition therapy should be undertaken. Furthermore, althoughweight loss is the ideal, we should not consider this essential, and we should realize that changes in eating habits and exercise without weight loss may be beneficial. Additionally, even small amounts of weight loss, by 5–7%, can improve metabolic parameters in the short term, and “we don’t know what happens in the long term.” It appears that the “total quantity of carbohydrate [CHO] is more important than the source of the CHO,” and that sugars are not less desirable than starches. “Adding protein does not slow the rate of absorption,” she stated, and protein also does not prevent late hypoglycemia, so that this common recommendation is no longer accepted. Micronutrient supplementation is now considered “unlikely to be beneficial,” with the exceptions of calcium and folic acid. One should not consider a patient to “fail” with diet and exercise, but simply that at a given point medications need to be added or changed. Finally, nutrition therapy is now reimbursed by most health insurers, and this should not be seen as a barrier to nutrition counseling for patients.

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This maybe the most important article available on the benefits of Omega-3 Fatty acids and health, It points out the many benefits of omega-3 and states that vegetable sources of omega three will work as well as fish sources. It clearly makes the link between the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and the use of omega-3. It makes recommendations on the amount that a person should take daily.

I hope you find this beneficial. You can get an excellent vegetable source of omega-3 from Chia Seed. In fact it has the highest amount of any food source. Chia products are available at www.nuchiafoods.com. The company currently offers a 1 LB pack of Raw Whole Chia Seeds, and has plans to offer many new food products, including a Chia Grain (flour) for all purpose baking, cookie mixes and pancake mix. These products are scheduled for roll out in April of 2008.

Let us know what you think about this article.

American Heart Association Study

Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

AHA RecommendationOmega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease.

We recommend eating fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week. Fish is a good source of protein and doesn’t have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do. Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

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An Introduction to this Page

The Mission

The mission of this page is to compile all the relevant scientific research material that is available in the public domain about Chia Seed (salvia Hispanica l), Chia History and scientific Chia Research.It is reported that scientists have been investigating Chia since the 1990s and have found the grain surprisingly nutritious. Of keenest interest at present, is Chia Seeds abundance of omega-3 fatty acids, which studies have shown promote a wide range of cardiovascular and mental health benefits.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. Chia Seeds and oil naturally contain more than 60% Omega-3 fatty acid per 100 grams; this is the highest percentage of Omega-3 of any commercially available source. Compare to Flax 54.6, Hemp 19.9 and Evening Primrose 0.4.

If scientist have been studying Chia Seed for 18 years, (since 1990), where are these studies and what were the results?

I enlist your help in posting to this site. Highest priority is given to post that include references, which are from credible scientific organizations, medical institutes and universities