Old is Gold: Chia Seed (Salvia Hispanica) an Ancient Seed in Today’s Management of Type 2 Diabetes: A Review

Abstract

Chia seed (Salvia hispanica) has been known for over 5,500 years and was used as a food for the Mayas and Aztec tribes. It is now fast gaining popularity worldwide due to the health benefits associated with it at a time where there is an increasing desire to change to healthier lifestyles. This is due to the increasing incidences of non-communicable diseases. A major concern in this paper is type 2 diabetes and its complications. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases and approximately 424.9 of the world’s population is now living with diabetes. By 2045, projections show that this number will rise to approximately 629 million diabetics globally. Progression of type 2 diabetes results in other associated complications and the management imposes social, medical, and economic burdens. Concerning its nutritional composition, chia seeds contain the highest known content of healthy ?-linolenic acid (?-3) compared to other natural sources. It also contains an appreciable amounts of dietary fibre, bioactive compounds, proteins, vitamins and minerals. It is because of its nutritional composition that chia has been used to manage various chronic diseases and of concern in this review paper being type 2 diabetes. This review paper is thus going to look into detail how this ancient grain is contributing to today’s management of type 2 diabetes.