Please note: ‘flaxseed’ and ‘linseed’ are
different names for the same seed. In
Australia it tends to be called linseed
whereas in many other countries it is known
as flaxseed. Same thing, different name.
The rise in popularity of chia seeds as a
health food supplement that ‘competes’ with
flaxseed in the health food market has led
to the question – which should you feed your
horse? The companies promoting chia as a
(supposedly) superior option to flaxseed are
at pains to point out the benefits of chia
and the apparent flaws of flax; but in the
context of using either seed as an Omega 3
supplement for your horse, here’s how they
stack up against one another…
FIRST THINGS FIRST…
Why do horses need Omega 3 Essential Fatty
Acid (EFA) supplementation?
Essential fatty acids are called ‘essential’
because they cannot be manufactured by the
body and therefore our horses (and
ourselves!) rely entirely on our
dietary intake to supply them. Unless your
horse’s diet predominantly consists of fresh
pasture it is likely to have an unbalanced
EFA profile, with a far greater proportion
of Omega 6 fatty acids than Omega 3. The
process of turning fresh pasture into hay
results in significant loss of Omega 3
content, and the EFA profile of cereal
grains is heavily in favour of Omega 6, with
very little Omega 3.
Although both Omega 3 and 6 are
needed in the diet, Omega 6 FAs are
pro-inflammatory whilst Omega 3s are
anti-inflammatory – if the proportion or
overall content of Omega 3 is deficient,
symptoms of inflammatory processes in the
body may appear – itchy, allergy-prone skin
is just one such sign.
So, let’s compare chia and flax…
PRICE
The decision about whether or not a product
(such as a horse dietary supplement) offers
you good value is a very personal one.
Factors to take into account include ‘the
cold hard facts’ (such as how much of any
particular nutrient you are getting per
dollar), how much preparation time the
product requires in comparison to a
competing product, and whether or not one
product offers benefits that the other
product lacks which particularly appeal to
you.
When digesting the information below on chia
and flaxseed it is worth keeping in mind
that chia costs almost three times as
much as flax – a significant price
difference that for many horse owners,
understandably, will also carry significant
weight in their final decision as to which
seed they prefer to use.
NUTRITION
Fats
– those all important Essential Fatty Acids!
Both chia and flax are approximately one
third fat, and both have a high ratio of
omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids (a ratio
similar to that found in fresh grass).
Although many who promote the benefits of
chia claim that it is higher in Omega 3s
than flaxseed, independent data sources such
as the USDA National Nutrient Database for
Standard Reference indicate otherwise,
indeed their data reveals that flaxseed has
not only a higher overall content of
essential fatty acids but that it also has a
higher proportion of Omega 3 to Omega 6.
Even if we allow for individual crop
variations (the nutrient content of any
crop, including chia and flax, is dependent
upon the climatic conditions it is grown in,
and both chia and flax will have some,
usually slight, variations in their
composition from crop to crop) the data does
not leave room for a claim that chia is a
superior source of Omega 3 fatty acids, if
anything the data favours flaxseed.
However, the differences between them are
minimal, both are excellent sources of Omega
3, and there is no outstanding winner.
Protein
Chia, like flax, is high in protein for a
grain/seed, both usually falling somewhere
within the 15-25% range. Chia’s protein is
a slightly higher quality protein than flax
due to its better amino acid profile, and
while this is favourable to chia, in the
context of a horse who is already receiving
adequate protein in their diet but who
requires Omega 3 supplementation, the
difference in protein quality need not be a
big player in the decision for or against
either seed.
Fibre
Chia and flax are both good sources of fibre
– their polysaccharides (the molecules that
are responsible for the slimy, gel-like
properties of the seeds) help to slow the
absorption of sugars into the bloodstream,
which suggests the likelihood that
both/either of these seeds will provide
benefit to horses with insulin resistance.
At least one clinical study has shown that
feeding chia to rats both prevented and
reversed insulin resistance that had been
brought on by feeding the rats a
sucrose-rich diet.
The mucilaginous fibre of both flax and chia
is helpful in preventing a build up of sand
in the gut of horses.
Vitamins and Minerals
Both flax and chia contain an array of
vitamins and minerals, including calcium,
phosphorous, potassium, manganese, copper,
zinc and B vitamins. It is oft quoted by
the proponents of chia that it is an
excellent source of calcium, with phrases
such as “Five times the calcium of cow’s
milk!” What is usually Not mentioned is
that, like flax, chia has even more
phosphorous than calcium and thus has a
ratio of calcium to phosphorous that is
weighted toward phosphorous – the opposite
of what is required overall in the diet of
humans and horses alike. Thus, while chia
is a good source of calcium, other sources
of calcium will still be required in the
diet to balance out the calcium:phosphorous
ratio.
Antioxidants and Anti-inflammatories
Chia is high in antioxidants, higher than
flax. As well as being nutritionally
beneficial these antioxidants protect chia
from going rancid and provide it with a long
shelf life. Although flax does not contain
the same level of antioxidants as chia,
whole flaxseed has a tough seed coat that
protects it seed contents from oxidation
during storage.
Once ground however, chia seed, because of
its higher antioxidant content, has a longer
shelf life than ground flaxseed which
ideally is fed freshly ground [see
below for further information on preparation
and digestibility].
Despite being more highly antioxidant than
flax, chia does not have a higher
anti-inflammatory rating than flax. They
are both categorised as Strongly
Antiinflammatory, with flax receiving a
higher rating (the rating takes into account
the overall effect of a number of
nutritional factors, including fatty acids
and antioxidants).
PREPARATION AND DIGESTIBILITY
There is a long- and commonly-held belief
that flaxseed can only be safely fed to
horses after being boiled for a period of
time. This belief, although unfounded,
arose due to the presence of components
within the seed which can interact to
release cyanide. It was believed that
linseed had to be boiled for a minimum of an
hour to release the cyanide before feeding
it. However, it is now known that stomach
acid has the ability to inactivate the
enzymes which are required to form the
cyanide, thus making the feeding of freshly
ground linseed safe for horses. In fact,
boiling actually destroys, to a large
extent, the essential fatty acids in
flaxseed, and thus it best fed freshly
ground – a domestic coffee grinder easily
does the job.
When any seed is ground the protective outer
seed coat is broken, allowing digestive
enzymes access to the inner components of
the seed. It is often said by those
spruiking the benefits of chia over flax
that chia, unlike flax, does not need to be
ground in order to be readily digested.
However, at least one study has shown that
the protein digestibility of raw whole chia
seed is very low but is noticeably improved
if the seed is ground into flour.
Although horses use a grinding action when
chewing their food, chia seeds are tiny and
are fed in combination with bulky feed such
as chaff, so we cannot rely on the horse to
do a sufficiently thorough job of grinding
the seed him/her self. Thus, if feeding
chia seed it is recommended that, like
flaxseed, it is ground before feeding.
If preferred, cold-pressed flaxseed oil can
be used rather than the seed itself but the
oil must be kept in the refrigerator to
prevent it oxidising and becoming rancid.
Dosage guide:
Horses who do not get most of their
nutrition as fresh pasture:
Average horse
(450-500kg) Large horse
(above 500kg)
Flaxseed 1/2
cup
3/4 cup
Chia
2/3
cup
1 cup
Horses who are partly at pasture and partly
hard fed can be fed at half the above rates,
and ponies can be fed proportionally less
according to their bodyweight.
Please note:
the above dosage rates are for whole seed.
Once ground, the seed meal increases in
volume and thus if you are feeding
pre-ground seed use a slightly heaped
measurement.
So which seed ‘wins’?
As mentioned at the outset, it’s a personal
decision. The main factors to consider are
as follows:
-
BOTH flaxseed and chia are viable,
excellent sources of Omega 3 EFA, with
the data slightly favouring flaxseed in
this regard.
-
Both seeds are best fed ground to
maximise digestibility.
-
Chia has a slightly better amino acid
profile (but the seeds must be fed
ground if this benefit is to be
utilised).
-
Both flaxseed and chia are strongly
anti-inflammatory, flaxseed somewhat
more so despite chia’s higher
antioxidant content.
-
When fed as per the dosage guide above,
flaxseed costs approximately one third
the price of chia.
