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In this dose, chia lowers blood pressure
Chia is a blood pressure lowering agent. If you eat 4 tablespoons of chia every day - and keep doing that for at least 10 weeks - both your systolic and diastolic pressure will be significantly lower than before. This is evident from a meta-study that appeared in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in 2024.
Study
Researchers from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran traced 10 trials in the scientific literature in which adults were given chia. Some of the studies involved healthy subjects, but most involved diabetics, overweight people, or people with other conditions.
The daily dose ranged from 25-50 grams. To give you an idea of the amounts, a tablespoon of chia is about 10 grams. The duration of the studies ranged from 4-24 weeks.
Results
Chia supplementation lowered blood pressure. This was true for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Overall, chia supplementation lowered SBP by 8 points and DBP by 6 points.
Click on the figures below for a larger version.
Mechanism
The reduction in systolic pressure correlated with the dosage. The figure above shows that with every 10 gram increase in dosage, systolic pressure decreased by 2 points. The researchers were unable to find such a significant relationship for diastolic pressure.
The duration of administration was also a significant factor, the researchers discovered. Studies that lasted at least 10 weeks reported significantly better results than studies with a shorter duration.
Mechanism
The researchers put forward two possible explanations for the blood pressure lowering effect of chia. One is that chia is a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which lower blood pressure. Another explanation is that proteins in chia lower blood pressure by inhibiting the enzyme ACE-1. [LWT 2015;64(1):236-42.]
Conclusion
"As the quality of the included studies was mostly low, the findings should be interpreted with caution", the researchers summarize.
"Well-designed trials with larger sample sizes and longer duration of follow-up are needed to provide additional insight into the dose-dependent effects of chia consumption."
Source:
Complement Ther Med. 2024 Nov:86:103086.
More:
Chia lowers blood pressure (but that's not all) 03.05.2020
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