Chia Seeds & Type 2 Diabetes

Reading up on Chia seeds usage in the diet of a Diabetic states that they can be useful in helping to slow down digestion, however we are not medics, and we always recommend you read up, inform yourself and make your own decisions.

There are numerous articles about chia seeds and diabetes on the web and a recent tweet by Leicester Diabetes Centre caught our attention. This has motivated us to collate some information here for you to read.

We thought it might be useful to collate some information in one place (with the appropriate references of course) to help keep you and ourselves informed on how chia seeds can help those with Type 2 Diabetes. The above tweets led to Christine uploading her thoughts and discoveries of chia seeds and diabetes in the following article:

Are chia seeds a superfood for Type 2 diabetes?

Can chia seeds help control blood glucose levels in Type 2 diabetes – and what are they, anyway?
This week I was intrigued by a link posted on Twitter by the respected team at the Leicester Diabetes Centre. It was headed: ‘Superfood of the day: Chia Seeds – can treat diabetes and boost energy.’ Worth checking out! So I did some research online (and bought some to try). Here’s a quick report on what I discovered:

Is there any evidence for these claims?
There are a handful of studies into the effects of chia seeds on human health. The study most often quoted is by Vuksan et al, published in Diabetes Care in 2007.

Further reading

“Studies report that the fiber and protein content of chia seeds can slow digestion and help keep blood sugar levels balanced, which is important for people with type 2 diabetes. “These seeds are also the highest source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce risk factors of diabetes and inflammation in the body,” says Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, of Nutritious Life”

- Everyday Health

“Chia seeds have a unique blend of both soluble and insoluble fiber; this essentially slows down our body's process of breaking down foods to sugars, resulting in more stable blood sugars.”

- Diabetic Connect

“Several studies have confirmed the long-held belief that chia seeds can help treat diabetes. One January 2009 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, for instance, found that chia could normalize insulin resistance in diabetic rats while reducing the fat and cholesterol in their blood. These findings reinforce the results of an earlier 2007 study for the Diabetes Care journal, which concluded that chia improved 'major and emerging cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes' in 20 patients.

These impressive results are often attributed to the fact that chia seeds form a gel when ingested, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, allowing the digestive system to process sugar in a more gradual and stable manner.”

- Natural News

If you are diabetic and you have started using chia seeds why not let us know what you think and about your experience, it might be the basis of another blog?

If you have any questions on Chia Charge products and how they may be able to help you, do not hesitate to get in touch! You can email me at timtaylor@chiacharge.co.uk

Chia seeds - high in protein, fibre and omega-3!