Chia seeds study finds effects on brain satiety signals in rats

A Brazilian study published in Nutrition reported that chia oil and chia flour altered gene expression tied to satiety and improved the brain's response to leptin in rats fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet.

Brazilian researchers published a study in the journal Nutrition examining how chia flour and chia oil affected brain markers in rats. They used a high-fat, high-fructose (HFHF) diet to model metabolic changes and included a control group on a standard diet. For 10 weeks some rats received the HFHF diet alone, others received HFHF plus chia oil, and a third group received HFHF plus chia flour. Brain tissue was collected and analysed for genes related to satiety, inflammation and antioxidant responses. Key findings: - The study compared a control diet group with animals fed a HFHF diet, and with HFHF groups given chia oil or chia flour for 10 weeks. - Chia oil was reported to increase the activity of genes related to satiety, an effect not seen to the same extent with chia flour. - Both chia oil and chia flour were reported to improve the brain's response to the hormone leptin, which is associated with hunger signalling. - The authors reported that chia products generally restored certain brain markers and reduced the animals' drive to overeat. - The researchers noted that changes in the intestinal microbiota may be correlated with brain satiety signals and with inflammatory and oxidative responses. Summary: The researchers reported that chia flour and oil altered expression of genes tied to satiety and inflammatory responses and affected leptin signalling in the brains of rats on an unhealthy diet. Undetermined at this time.