 We've been eating chia seeds for more than 5,000 years, historically one of the main crops grown in the Western Hemisphere. They're exceptionally high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, though like flax seeds it's better to grind them up. Even eating two tablespoons of whole chia seeds every day for 10 weeks led to no change in omega-3 levels, but the same amount of ground chia seeds did lead to a significant increase in blood levels of both short chain and long chain omega-3s. But there appeared to be no influence on inflammation or disease risk factors. No change in body fat, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, or any of the other markers of inflammation. An earlier study had purported to show a significant reduction in C-reactive protein levels at an indicator of systemic inflammation compared to control, but if you look at the data, that's only because there was a significant worsening in the placebo group that was given a couple tablespoons of wheat bran a day instead. So it's not that the chia group got significantly better, the control group just got significantly worse. Whenever researchers appear to be exaggerating their results, there's always a red flag to check their funding source, but they didn't disclose any conflicts of interest. Five years later, though, the truth came out. The study was indeed funded by a chia company. Furthermore, the lead investigator had filed a patent to use chia seeds to treat diseases. Why didn't they disclose this? Because the journal's conflict of interest policy evidently didn't specifically require the disclosure of such information. Anyways, the patent has since been abandoned, likely because subsequent studies found no significant benefits for weight loss, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, or inflammation after eating a quarter cup of chia seeds a day for three months. The original study did show a significant drop in blood pressure, which was replicated by other researchers, though not as potent in effect as ground flax seed. The primary reason I prefer flax seeds over chia seeds, though, is their lignan content, averaging about 15 times more than other seeds, including sesame and chia seeds, thought to explain the anti-cancer effect of flax seeds for both prevention and survival. Chia seeds are certainly better than eggs and oil, though. By mixing one part chia seeds and nine parts water and letting it sit, you can create a chia gel that can be used as an egg or oil replacer in baked goods.