Chia flour, whey protein and strength gains in young men
What it found
In 18 young men doing 8 weeks of resistance training, chia flour and whey protein did not add to gains in fat-free mass or strength compared with a placebo drink.
The training itself improved both in all three groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Fat-free mass gains
Fat-free mass rose in all three groups: by 2.3% with whey, 3.6% with chia, and 3.0% with placebo. There was no difference between the groups.
Strength gains
All groups improved their one-repetition maximum in every exercise tested. There was no difference between the placebo, chia, and whey groups.
Habitual protein intake
The men already ate a high-protein diet: 1.3 g per kg per day in the placebo group, and 1.5 g per kg per day in both the chia and whey groups. This was measured from 3-day food records.
Stomach symptoms
In the chia group, 67% reported abdominal bloating, 17% diarrhea, and 17% gas. In the whey group, one man (17%) reported bloating. No side effects were reported in the placebo group.
Fullness after drinks
All men in the chia group felt full for 2 hours after drinking it. In the whey group, 67% felt full after drinking it.
What the authors conclude
“Neither chia flour nor whey protein further improved FFM and strength gains induced by an 8-week resistance training program in healthy untrained young men with a habitual high protein mixed diet (>1.2 g/kg/day).”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that neither chia flour nor whey protein further improved fat-free mass and strength gains from an 8-week resistance training program in healthy untrained young men who already ate a high-protein mixed diet.
- They say further investigations are warranted to test the efficiency of chia flour in populations with lower protein intake, such as vegetarians, vegans, and the elderly.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether chia flour, a plant protein rich in omega-3, could boost muscle and strength gains from resistance training as much as whey protein. No study had tested chia flour this way before.
Eighteen healthy, untrained young men did an 8-week whole-body resistance training program, three sessions a week. After each session they drank either 50 g chia flour (20 g protein), 30 g whey protein (23 g protein), or a placebo juice with no protein. Body composition and strength were measured before and after.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only 8 weeks and included just 18 young men, so the results may not apply to other groups or longer training periods.
- The men already ate a high-protein diet, so the findings may not apply to people who eat less protein.
- The study did not measure muscle size directly, only fat-free mass from DXA scans.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Finis Terrae University (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Exercise Physiology and Metabolism Laboratory, Chile; Institute of Neuroscience, Belgium; Faculty of Health Science, Spain
The paper
- Title
- Neither Chia Flour nor Whey Protein Supplementation Further Improves Body Composition or Strength Gains after a Resistance Training Program in Young Subjects with a Habitual High Daily Protein Intake
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zbinden-Foncea H, Ramos-Navarro C, Hevia-Larraín V, et al (2023). Neither Chia Flour nor Whey Protein Supplementation Further Improves Body Composition or Strength Gains after a Resistance Training Program in Young Subjects with a Habitual High Daily Protein Intake. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu15061365Free full textPubMed 36986095DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error