Chia Flour (Salvia hispanica L.) Intake Does Not Affect Weight Loss and Lipid Profile but Improve Systolic Blood Pressure Control in Obesity

Background Obesity is an epidemic, multifactorial and difficult-to-control disease, besides being a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Among the multiple intervention proposals, the addition of chia in meals has been considered due to its composition and possible effects on weight loss and cardiovascular parameters. Objective We evaluate the influence of chia flour (Salvia hispanica L.) intake on body weight, body composition, energy expenditure (EE) and cardiovascular risk in obese women. Methods This study is a clinical trial performed with 20 adult women with obesity randomized into experimental (chia flour) and control (placebo) groups. We assessed anthropometric and biochemical measurements, as well as clinical, dietary and EE variables before intervention and 90 days later. Results There were no differences in anthropometric indicators, body composition or EE between groups, but a decrease in HDL-c (p = 0.049) and a trend towards the reduction of systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.062) was observed in the experimental group. Conclusion Chia flour had a possible positive effect on SBP control, but negatively affected the lipid profile and did not seem to influence obesity control.