Chia seeds and inflammation markers in people
What it found
In four small trials in people, chia seeds lowered one inflammation marker, CRP, but made no clear difference to two others, IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
What they found
Studies in people
CRP lowered
Across four trials with 210 people, chia lowered CRP, a marker of inflammation. The authors note this result should be viewed with caution.
IL-6 unchanged
In two trials with 132 people, chia made no clear difference to IL-6 levels compared with placebo.
TNF-alpha unchanged
In two trials with 132 people, chia made no clear difference to TNF-alpha levels compared with placebo.
Longer use, higher dose
The fall in CRP showed up in people with type 2 diabetes, in trials lasting 12 weeks or more, and at doses above 35 grams a day.
Other findings
Quality of the trials
Most of the trials had some concerns about their quality, one had a low risk of bias and one had a high risk of bias. The authors rate the overall certainty of the evidence as low to moderate.
What the authors conclude
“While chia seeds may offer some anti-inflammatory benefits, the current evidence is insufficient for definitive conclusions.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say chia seed consumption may have a positive impact on reducing CRP levels, but does not show significant effects on IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels.
- They advise that "the current evidence is insufficient for definitive conclusions" and call for larger, better-designed trials.
- They recommend future research to find the best dose and duration of chia seed consumption.
How it was done
Chia seeds have drawn interest for possible anti-inflammatory effects, which may come from their omega-3 fats, fibre and antioxidants. The authors wanted to pull together the trial evidence on three inflammation markers.
They pooled four randomised controlled trials with 210 adults who had type 2 diabetes or were overweight. The trials ran from 10 to 24 weeks, and chia was compared with a placebo.
What it can’t tell you
- The evidence is limited to a small number of trials, so the results may not apply to other groups of people.
- The trials varied in size, length and the people studied, which makes them hard to compare.
- The authors rate the certainty of the evidence as low to moderate, so the true effect of chia on these markers is uncertain.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- There is no conflict of interest in this study.
- Authors work at
- Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Keele University, UK
The paper
- Title
- Chia seed supplementation and inflammatory biomarkers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Pam P, Asemani S, Azizi MH, Jamilian P (2024). Chia seed supplementation and inflammatory biomarkers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of nutritional science. doi:10.1017/jns.2024.70Free full textPubMed 39703891DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error