Omega3 and Prenatal Depression - new correlation

A new study found that women with prenatal depression had lower omega3 levels in their blood.  This further substantiates that omega3 is an important food component that must be consumed during pregnancy. As chia is the highest plant source of omega3 its consumption during pregnancy should be considered essential.

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Omega3 deficiencies in teenagers can yield to anxious adults

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience reports that omega3 deficiencies in adolescent mice has led to behavioral problems in adulthood. The implications here are that the same could hold true in humans and hence consumption of omega3 fatty acids, such as those found in chia could be very important.

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Increasing omeag3/omega6 ratios can improve fetal health

A study just published in Clinical Nutrition indicated that increasing the omega3/omega6 ratio in the diet (either by cutting omega6 consumption, increasing omega3 consumption or doing both) from mid pregnancy onward can improve fetal health. This improvement was demonstrated by increased fetal growth including increased weight, length and head size.

Pregnant women: Have you had your chia today?®

New study shows ALA is important for brain function

A study just published in Nutritional Neuroscience, which was conducted at the University of Illinois using 100 people between the ages of 65 and 75, showed that ALA along with SDA and ETE were important in increasing fluid intelligence. This is the ability of the brain to cope with new novel situations via the process of inductive and deductive reasoning.

Hence this study shows that the shorter chain omega3 fatty acids are important to humans. Results of this study show that consumption of chia, which is the highest plant source of ALA (Alpha Linoleic fatty acid), can lead to improved brain function.

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Importance of Omega3 in pre and post natal depression

A new study confirms the importance of omega3 in helping to tackle pre and post natal depression was recently published in Biological Psychiatry. The study was a meta-analysis of 12 other studies and not only showed how important omega3 was, but also pointed to the fact that higher omega6/omega3 ratios were as big of a concern.  So the key here is to increase omega3 consumption (a great source being chia) while reducing omega6 consumption (soy etc). 

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Omega3 intakes of pregnant women in the US are low - cause for concern

A study that looked at food intakes of more than 7000 women of childbearing age showed their intake of omega3 fatty acids to be way below recommended levels.  Of the study groups, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations were found to be more susceptible to potential deficiencies. Additionally white participants had the lowest intakes compared to Hispanics and blacks.

Why is this a concern? Omega-3 fatty acids play critical roles during fetal growth and development, with increased intakes associated with improved maternal-fetal outcomes.

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Omega3 could decrease mortality rates in postmenopausal women

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology looked at omega3 scores in postmenopausal women over a 15 year period.  The authors found that women with the highest omega3 blood scores were 20 percent less likely to die from any cause, than those with the lowest omega3 levels.

So once again consuming chia with its high omega3 content can help to reduce mortality rates.

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Chia oil consumption increases DHA content of breast milk

A study conducted in 2015 showed that consumption of 16 mL of chia oil from the third trimester of pregnancy through the first six months of nursing increased the ALA content of breast milk while reducing the LA content.  Additionally, DHA content increased during the first three months of nursing. 

Given the fact that DHA is fundamental for brain and visual function in humans, this study would suggest that consuming chia, chia oil in particular, can lead to healthier babies.

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Chia can help with diabetes and weight loss

A recent study, reported in the Journal of Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, which utilized 60 people half of which were in the control group, showed that consuming 30 grams of chia a day for 6 months reduced C-reactive protein, waste circumference and weight. 

This study once again demonstrates that daily consumption of chia can have significant health benefits not only in those suffering from diabetes, but also those that are overweight.

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FDA guidelines for claiming omega3 content in foods - chia can be considered a high source of omega3 (ALA)

In January of 2016 the FDA issued new guidance rules for what claims can be made for the omega3 nutrient content of foods. 

Specifically claims for DHA and EPA are not allowed, with the FDA stating: "We are prohibiting the nutrient content claims for DHA and EPA set forth in the three notifications because they are not based on an authoritative statement that identifies a nutrient level to which the claims refer, as required by the FD&C Act."

However they did allow nutrient content claims for ALA (the type of omega3 found in chia) with HIGH being allowed for ≥ 320 mg of ALA per RACC (≥ 20% of 1.6 g/day) and GOOD SOURCE for ≥ 160 mg of ALA per RACC (≥ 10% of 1.6 g/day) where RACC stands for: "reference amount customarily consumed".

Thus one can easily say that according to FDA guidelines, chia has a HIGH content of omega3 per 15 gm serving, since it contains approximately 2900 gm of ALA which is almost 10 times the required amount.

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