Recent research suggests that chia seeds might hold the secret to shielding the brain and body from the negative impacts of consuming ultra-processed foods.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs), typically rich in saturated fats and sugars, have been associated with detrimental effects on almost every organ system in the human body.

A critical report by The Lancet last year revealed that people in the UK consume more than half of their daily caloric intake from UPFs.

This dietary habit spells trouble not just for the digestive system, leading to obesity and type 2 diabetes, but also for the brain. Diets high in fats and sugars (HFSS) can cause brain inflammation, heightening the risk of cognitive decline.

Moreover, these foods can disturb the gut-brain axis, hampering feelings of fullness and promoting overeating.

However, researchers from Brazil propose that chia seeds could be a promising solution to these issues.

The small black and white seeds are high in omega-3 fats and are a complete source of protein, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids that the body needs to function. 

Previous studies have shown that ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid that chia seeds are full of, can help lower inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions including obesity and high blood pressure which increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. 

Chia seeds may help the brain regulate appetite and inflammation, scientists say 

To test whether the seeds could reverse the damage caused by Western diets, experts from the Federal University of Vicosa studied how flour and oil made from the seeds influenced rats’ brains.

For the first eight weeks of the study, published in the journal Nutrition, a majority of the rats were fed a diet designed to mimic unhealthy human diets high in lard and fructose – a type of sugar.

This preliminary phase was intended to trigger metabolic changes in the animals so they more closely resembled the general human population. 

A control group was fed a standard, healthy diet so the researchers could compare the effects of chia seeds on different health profiles.

For the next 10 weeks, one group continued the high-fat, high-sugar diet without any changes, whilst another group were fed this unhealthy diet with the addition of chia oil. 

A third group had their high-fat feed supplemented with chia flour. 

The researchers then collected brain tissue samples for analysis. 

The results revealed distinct differences between the effects of chia flour and chia oil on satiety and inflammatory markers. 

The rats which were fed chia oil showed increased activity in specific genes that suppress hunger, suggesting that chia may promote feelings of fullness by activating this pathway in the central nervous system. 

These genes produce proteins called POMC and CART which signal to the body that it has consumed enough energy, resulting in feelings of fullness. 

Interestingly, the researchers observed no such activation in the group fed chia flour. 

However, both interventions appeared to improve how the brain responds to leptin – a hormone produced by fat cells associated with feelings of hunger. 

In a healthy brain, leptin binds to specific receptors to block hunger pangs. But, diets high in fat suppress these signals leading to leptin resistance and over-eating. 

The researchers found feeding rats chia products restored normal brain functioning, successfully reducing the urge to overeat. 

The way that they increase feelings of satiety, chia seeds can be compared to how GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, also known as fat jabs, dull appetite and lead to weight loss. 

Beyond appetite control, they found unhealthy diets increased the expression of a protein that turns on inflammation in cells – but chia helped blunt this effect, protecting brain cells from inflammatory damage.

Chia flour specifically was found to have more protective effects, with compounds in the flour shown to directly bind to appetite receptors in the brain. 

The team concluded: ‘The consumption of chia flour and oil associated with a high fat, high-fructose diet modulated the expression of genes involved in satiety and inflammatory response mechanisms… making it a potential strategy for controlling metabolic disease associated with unbalanced diets.’ 

However, despite these promising changes in brain activity, the team highlighted an important caveat: none of the animals consuming chia lost weight. 

A potential reason for this is because they were consuming an extremely high calorie diet, which could have masked the weight benefits of chia, the researchers suggested.

They added that behavioural changes in eating and subsequent weight loss might require a longer period to manifest. 

Eating foods high in fat, salt and sugar and low in vitamins and fibre has long been linked to an increased risk of serious health problems including cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.