The effects of salvia hispanica (chia seeds) on insulin sensitivity, hematological inflammatory indices and liver function in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of chia seeds on insulin sensitivity, hematological inflammatory indices (HIIs), liver function, and steatosis in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: This single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out on 44 newly diagnosed obese patients with NAFLD. Following liver ultrasonography and dietary assessment, patients randomly allocated into two groups: “Control group” (n = 22) receiving only calorie-restricted diet (CRD) and “Chia group” (n = 22) receiving chia seeds (40 g/day) plus CRD for 8 weeks. After an overnight fasting, serum glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ferritin, and complete blood cell count were assessed. Then, insulin sensitivity indices, NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), and HIIs were estimated. RESULTS: After 8 weeks, significant inter-group reductions were observed in energy (p = 0.015) and carbohydrate (p = 0.029) intakes, in favor of chia. Moreover, chia plus CRD noticeably improved insulin sensitivity by reducing serum insulin (p = 0.016) and increasing homeostatic model assessment of insulin sensitivity (p < 0.001), after adjusting for confounders. Marked attenuations in NFS (p = 0.020) and AST to ALT ratio (p = 0.038), as well as marginal amelioration in serum aminotransferases was observed in the chia group, while among HIIs, only platelet to lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.027) significantly enhanced in favor of chia. CONCLUSION: Chia seeds supplementation could reduce food intake, ameliorate insulin sensitivity, and NAFLD fibrosis score in obese patients with NAFLD.