Media spins another story on chia

An article in yesterday's Sacramento Bee proves the jokes on chia haven't yet been exhausted. Sam McManis wrote about health claims for chia seeds, the Aztec food made popular by the "as seen on TV" chia pot. The San Jose Mercury News ran a similar story on the health fad last February, as noted in this blog entry.

In both cases, the reporters sought UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr's measured commentary.

"The redeeming qualities of (chia) is omega-3s, specifically the lenlinic (acid) that's in there," Zidenberg-Cherr was quoted. "Because of that tie-in with heart disease and diabetes, I see potential for it as something that could be added to someone's diet if they're already following a healthy eating plan with the proper recommendations."

She said chia seeds have a nice nutrition profile, but they are not a dietary cure-all.

"The (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) considers it safe, as for now," Zidenberg-Cherr says. "So it doesn't look like there's any danger. You're just now starting to see a lot more research going on with it."

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