Chia addiction?????

Daisychain65 · February 2016

Hi all, I've recently added chia seeds to my diet and I love them but one thing slightly concerns me, and I'm struggling to find any info on the net. A few articles I've read, about the benefits and side effects of chia, mention a possible addiction.........!'

'Chia should be consumed in short phases followed by break periods as some cases have shown people getting addicted to it'

'People who are suffering with heart problems may want to avoid these seeds as it has addictive effects on its users.'
for example.

I'm curious, how would you know if you're addicted? Does chia have some effect on some people that I'm missing like a chia 'high' or something? And more to the point what are the withdrawal symptoms likely to be if I stop 'using' them???? I'm giggling to myself as I write this because it seems bizarre but maybe there's a serious side that I need to know about.

cityruss · February 2016

No.

FitPhillygirl · February 2016

I eat chia seeds everyday with my Greek yogurt and don't consider myself addicted. Chia seeds have some healthy benefits to them, therefore there is nothing wrong with eating them daily. I do however limit myself to one serving a day, though.

brb_2013 · February 2016

Addicted? That's not something I'd spend much time thinking about. Doesnt sound the least bit likely or credible.

jgnatca · February 2016

Heck, no. Not unless you have ever been addicted to tapioca.

cbelc2 · February 2016

Seriously?? I add them to my whole foods smoothie and it sits overnight to become a luscious texture. I'm addicted to my breakfast smoothies.

sonjavon · February 2016

Here is some more information... it seems to me that the warning is put out there as an abundance of caution.
"Finally, chia seeds may be habit-forming (1). Really. Given all their benefits, you might think this is a good thing. However, they come from the “Salvia” family which is linked to recreational use typically involving rolling its dried leaves or ingesting its juices. But the National Institute on Drug Abuse says, “Although salvia is generally considered a hallucinogen, it does not act at serotonin receptors that are activated by other hallucinogens like LSD or psilocybin, and its effects are reported by experienced users to be different from those drugs.”
http://www.rawandnaturalhealth.com/side-effects-chia-seeds-may-surprise/

Daisychain65 · February 2016

sonjavon, thank you for the link. I wasn't seriously concerned about it, more curious because it seemed like such an odd thing to be saying about chia. I don't think I shall give it any more thought. Then again if I'm ever spotted on the forums posting that I have seen purple rhinos or giant rabbits, please feel free to remind me about the possible hallucinogenic effects of chia seeds lol

sonjavon · February 2016

Lol. So funny

finneyjason218 · February 2016

Um no. Try smoking or drugs (like real drugs not pot) if you are looking to compare. After you've built up a real addiction, try going without chia seeds for a day or two.

Need2Exerc1se · February 2016

Daisychain65 wrote: »

'People who are suffering with heart problems may want to avoid these seeds as it has addictive effects on its users.'

This struck me as odd. Why would the addiction warning be specific to those with heart problems?

WalkingAlong · February 2016

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Daisychain65 wrote: »

'People who are suffering with heart problems may want to avoid these seeds as it has addictive effects on its users.'

This struck me as odd. Why would the addiction warning be specific to those with heart problems?

I was curious so I googled "chia addiction". When the most authoritative site on page 1 is LiveStrong, you know it's not good. But the LiveStrong article did mention a potential heart issue. Not with addiction, just with chia.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/155988-negative-health-effects-of-chia-seeds/

Joanna2012B · February 2016

cbelc2 wrote: »

Seriously?? I add them to my whole foods smoothie and it sits overnight to become a luscious texture. I'm addicted to my breakfast smoothies.

I put Chia seeds in my smoothies and I too am addicted to my breakfast smoothies!! I was addicted to them long before I started put Chia in it!! Glad to hear I am not the only smoothie addict!!! lol

dasher602014 · February 2016

WalkingAlong wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Daisychain65 wrote: »

'People who are suffering with heart problems may want to avoid these seeds as it has addictive effects on its users.'

This struck me as odd. Why would the addiction warning be specific to those with heart problems?

I was curious so I googled "chia addiction". When the most authoritative site on page 1 is LiveStrong, you know it's not good. But the LiveStrong article did mention a potential heart issue. Not with addiction, just with chia.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/155988-negative-health-effects-of-chia-seeds/

And the article seemed to say that chia seeds worked to lower blood pressure (as well as reducing blood glucose) and the 'negative' effect was that your medication might be too strong so you might have to reduce or get rid of medication. This certainly needs medical supervision but I doubt most people on these meds would consider that a negative effect.

I love my chia!