Learn all about Chia Seeds Side Effects

A unique herb such as chia is related to chia pets. These are common products sold in many countries. However, chia has recognized longer as a medical herb. It comes from Mexico and they are cultivated by Mayan and Aztec people. This health food has both major benefits and chia seeds side effects. Recently, chia is cultivated commercially in South America and Central America. It’s mainly grown for its seeds, which contain much of nutrients. People use this health food to deal with high blood pressure, diabetes, and to reduce cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease. I want to discuss about potential side effects in this article.

Chia seeds have huge amount of healthy dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Many researchers consider both of them as major agents to reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, people start to believe that chia seeds give benefits to reduce weight. Eating chia seeds mixed with liquid water twice a day before meals for half of month improves health and reduces blood pressure in obese people. Also, eating whole daily chia seeds for 10 weeks improves women’s health. It reduces the occurrence of high blood pressure. Aside from many benefits of chia seeds, there are some how to eat chia seeds that you should consider.

Chia Seeds Side Effects

Contents

Chia Seeds Side Effects

Chia seeds are staple tiny seeds that have similarities to beans and corn. Aztecs and Mayans use them in diets. Recently, these nutritious seeds have gained popularity. Today, you can find dried chia in any local health stores. The increase in people’s acknowledgement about chia seeds have made it more popular to be traded online. However, there’s increase of doubt and questions about the potential chia seeds benefits and side effects of eating these seeds, including allergic reactions. Let’s discuss further in this article. The risk of eating chia seeds can be determined by the amount of this health food to consume. You should ask recommendation from doctors before include chia seeds on your diet.

Bleeding and Drop in Blood Pressure

First major side effect will be drop in blood pressure and bleeding. Eating chia seeds excessively causes unwanted health problems. Due to their excessive amount of fatty acids, these seeds may cause blood thinner. Therefore, people who take a particular prescription such as Warfarin shouldn’t eat chia seeds. At least, they should consult to the doctors first. The blood thinner overdose leads to bleeding. It affects your health significantly. Importantly, people with low blood pressure must get recommendation from doctors before using chia seeds as additional food. These seeds are able to lower diastolic blood pressure to a dangerous level, which is the result of too much chia seeds side effects.

Allergic Reactions

Next potential side effect of eating chia seed will be the occurrence of allergic reactions. Although it’s rare, allergic reactions to this health food are quite possible. Some symptoms may occur such as hives, rashes, watery eyes, and many others. Some other symptoms related to allergic reactions are diarrhea, vomiting, hard breathing, and also swelling around the mouth area. There’s quite possibility about the existence of cross-reactivity between other foods and chia seeds. Thyme and oregano are the perfect examples of it. In fact, mustard and sesame also have shown the similar problem in some people. Allergic reactions are rare to occur as the side effects chia seeds.

Gastrointestinal Side Effects

Third, eating excessive amount of chia seeds may lead to gastrointestinal side effects. It’s common among chia lovers. In fact, the risk is higher than other side effects to occur. Some problems associated with gastrointestinal problems are excessive gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Aside from all the possible side effects above, there’s the good news. We can prevent any side effects by following guides and tips to prepare chia seeds as diets or supplement. There are many resources from where you can learn more about it. It means that we can eat chia seeds without worrying to suffer from bloating and other potential side effects.

Risk of Prostate Cancer

There are many discussions about potential side effects of chia seeds. Some researches have been conducted on the effects of these seeds on fetuses and pregnant women. As a result, pregnant women are advised to stay away from chia seeds until further research has been conducted. There’s also a discussion about chia seeds and its relation to the occurrence of prostate cancer. In many studies, there’s a slight chance of prostate cancer risk by eating chia seeds excessively. The studies have founded evidence about the increased risk of this cancer related to a high consumption of chia seeds. However, the side effects of eating chia seeds tend to be small in this case.

Those who have diabetes are more vulnerable to develop stroke and heart attack. There’s evidence that diabetic people can lower those risks by eating Salba (bread that contains chia). They can take a particular amount of Salba to lower cardiovascular diseases along with their diabetes. The recommended amount of intake is 37 grams daily for 12 weeks. It also can reduce blood pressure levels and C-reactive protein. Lesser amount of those agents reduces the risk of inflammation. As a result, you can stay away from blood clotting. People also believe there’s positive effect of chia seeds to increase exercise performance. You can find out how to eat chia seeds from different sources in internet as well.

Precautions and Warnings

Well, chia seeds are possibly safe when taken in appropriate dosage. There’s evidence that it’s safe to consume up to 12 weeks. If it’s applied on skin, it shouldn’t be more than 8 weeks. Not enough is recognized about the safety of consuming chia seeds for a longer period. The most common precaution will be for pregnant women. Any pregnant women are advised to avoid eating chia seeds diet. It’s applied to those who are breast-feeding. There’s no further researches state about the safety. It is much better to stay on the safe line, isn’t it?

Eating chia seeds also increase triglycerides. It’s the fat in your blood. Eating chia seeds make your triglycerides levels higher. As a result, you are vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases. As alternative choice, you can choose Salbe which doesn’t increase your triglyceride levels. The last precaution is for men. Chia contains alpha-linolic acid. The amount is way too much. Some researches say that huge amounts of this acid increase the risk of prostate cancer. It’s one of the worst chia seeds side effects. Men should avoid eating too much chia seeds to avoid this problem. It’s recommended to consult to expert before using these seeds in diets.