Chia seed enrichment in high-fat-high-sugar diet-induced obesity: a strategy to increase DHA levels in maternal tissues and in fetal placenta and brain during pregnancy.

Garance Dalix, Chloé Cloteau, Khadija Ouguerram, Blandine Castellano, 

Anne-Lyse Panheleux, Isabelle Grit, Norbert Winer, Clair-Yves Boquien,

Véronique Ferchaud-Roucher

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2026.102746

An increasing number of women are overweight or obese by the time they reach reproductive age. Although the etiology of obesity is multifactorial, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet remain major contributing factors.

Western-style diets are frequently deficient in essential nutrients, particularly omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is critical for placental function and fetal brain development during pregnancy. The primary dietary source of DHA is oily fish; however, its consumption remains low in Western populations. DHA can also be synthesized endogenously from the essential omega-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA).

Chia seeds represent a plant-based source that is particularly rich in ALA. However, although the beneficial effects of chia consumption on offspring health have been well documented, the extent to which ALA is converted into DHA and becomes available to the fetus remains poorly characterized.

In this study, the authors used an experimental model of maternal obesity induced by a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, in which a subset of animals received the diet supplemented with chia seeds.

The results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with chia seeds significantly increased DHA concentrations in several maternal tissues, including the liver, as well as in the placenta and fetal brain. These findings indicate that a high dietary intake of ALA from chia seeds enhances DHA synthesis and its transfer to the fetus, even in the context of maternal obesity, a condition typically associated with impaired lipid metabolism.

This study has several noteworthy implications :

- First, it underscores the importance of dietary lipid quality during pregnancy, particularly in the context of maternal obesity. 

- Second, it highlights the potential of chia seeds as a plant-based source of omega-3 to improve maternal and fetal DHA status when the intake of oily fish or marine-derived omega-3 supplements is inadequate, particularly during critical windows of fetal development.

Collectively, these findings support the use of plant-derived omega-3 as a promising nutritional strategy to promote healthy fetal development. Nevertheless, further clinical studies are warranted to establish whether chia seed supplementation provides similar benefits in pregnant women.