Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Short Communication
  • Published:

Effect of whole and ground Salba seeds (Salvia Hispanica L.) on postprandial glycemia in healthy volunteers: a randomized controlled, dose-response trial

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 786–788 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

Incorporation of seeds into food products may attenuate postprandial glycemia. Whether these should be consumed as whole or in ground form is not known.

Subjects/Methods:

Using an acute, randomized controlled crossover design, the glycemic response of 13 healthy participants (6M:7F; 25.4±2.6 kg/m2) was studied on nine separate occasions. Test meals consisted of 7, 15 or 24 g of whole or ground Salba baked into white bread, and three control breads matched for energy, and macronutrient profile. Capillary blood samples were collected at fasting and over 2 h post consumption.

Results:

A significant effect of dose (P=0.04), but no effect of form (P=0.74) or dose-form interaction (P=0.98) was found. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that both ground and whole Salba are equally effective in attenuating blood glucose levels in a dose-dependent manner when incorporated into bread. Flexibility in the use of either the ground or whole seed may increase the ease of incorporation and acceptability as a dietary supplement.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chicco AG, D'Alessandro ME, Hein GJ, Oliva ME, Lombardo YB . Dietary chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) rich in alpha-linolenic acid improves adiposity and normalises hypertriacylglycerolaemia and insulin resistance in dyslipaemic rats. Br J Nutr 2009; 101: 41–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Vertommen J, Van de Sompel AM, Loenders M, Van der Velpen C, De Leeuw I . Efficacy and safety of 1 month supplementation of salba (Salvia hispanica alba) grain to diet of normal adults on body parameters, blood pressure, serum lipids. Minerals Status and Haematological Parameters. 23th International Symposium on Diabetes and Nutriton of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Athens Greece. 2005.

  3. Vuksan V, Whitham D, Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins AL, Rogovik AL, Bazinet RP et al. Supplementation of conventional therapy with the novel grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) improves major and emerging cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: results of a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care 2007; 30: 2804–2810.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ayerza R Jr., Coates W . Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic fatty acid derived from chia when fed as ground seed, whole seed and oil on lipid content and fatty acid composition of rat plasma. Ann Nutr Metab 2007; 51: 27–34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kuijsten A, Arts IC, van't Veer P, Hollman PC . The relative bioavailability of enterolignans in humans is enhanced by milling and crushing of flaxseed. J Nutr 2005; 135: 2812–2816.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vuksan V, Jenkins AL, Dias AG, Lee AS, Jovanovski E, Rogovik AL et al. Reduction in postprandial glucose excursion and prolongation of satiety: possible explanation of the long-term effects of whole grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.). Eur J Clin Nutr 2010; 64: 436–438.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Wolever TM, Jenkins DJ, Jenkins AL, Josse RG . The glycemic index: methodology and clinical implications. Am J Clin Nutr 1991; 54: 846–854.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Barbary OM, Al-Sohaimy SA, El-Saadani MA, Zeitoun AMA . Extraction, composition and physicochemical properties of flaxseed mucilage. J Adv Agric Res 1994; 14: 605–622.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Munoz LA, Cobos A, Diaz O, Aguilera JM . Chia seeds: Microstructure, mucilage extraction and hydration. J Food Eng 2012; 108: 216–224.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Rhee Y, Brunt A . Flaxseed supplementation improved insulin resistance in obese glucose intolerant people: a randomized crossover design. Nutr J 2011; 10: 44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the Salba Smart Natural Products, LC, Denver, CO, USA company for providing partial support in the form of $500 and for providing the Salba seeds used in the study.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, 10th Floor—Donnelly Wing, Toronto, Ontario M5B1W8, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    H Ho, E Jovanovski, A L Jenkins, R DeSouza & V Vuksan

  2. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    A S Lee & V Vuksan

  3. Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    R DeSouza

  4. Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    R DeSouza

  5. Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and Keenan Research Centre, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    V Vuksan

Authors
  1. H Ho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A S Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E Jovanovski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A L Jenkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R DeSouza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. V Vuksan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V Vuksan.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

V Vuksan: received grant support for an earlier study on Salba conducted in 2001–02 from Chia Nova Co (Toronto, Ontario, Canada); received honoraria for scientific advice and travel grants to present research at meetings from Salba Corporation (Buena Aires, Argentina), Salba Smart Natural Products LC (Denver, CO, USA), Source Salba Inc (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Core Naturals Inc (Winter Spring, Fl, USA) and Salba OLE Ltd. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada); holder of an American (No. 7 326 404 B2) and Canadian (No. 2 410 556) patent for use of viscous fiber blend in diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cholesterol lowering; received honoraria as a consultant for CANTOX Co. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), InovoBiologic Inc. (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) the manufacturer of the viscous fiber blend PGX, a product based on Dr Vuksan’s research; receives remuneration as VP and part owner of Glycemic Index Laboratories, Inc, a contract research organization. AL Jenkins: was a consultant for InovoBiologic, Inc. (Calgary, Alberta, Canada); receives remuneration as Director of Research and part owner of Glycemic Index Laboratories, Inc. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Note: the results were partially presented as an abstract at Experimental Biology 2009 (FASEB J., 2009; 23; 351.7).

Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on European Journal of Clinical Nutrition website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ho, H., Lee, A., Jovanovski, E. et al. Effect of whole and ground Salba seeds (Salvia Hispanica L.) on postprandial glycemia in healthy volunteers: a randomized controlled, dose-response trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 786–788 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.103

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.103

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links