Flax or linseed meal, the end product after fat extraction, has long been used in livestock feeds as a protein source. | Photo: The Horse Staff

A: Chia and flax are typically added to equine diets as supplemental sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Both are rich in linolenic acid (ALA), which is a precursor to the longer chain fatty acids: ecosapentaenoic acid (or EPA) and decosahexaenoic acid (or DHA). Flax or linseed meal, the end product after fat extraction, has long been used in livestock feeds as a protein source. But more recently interest has built around the whole flax seed due to its potential impact of inflammatory conditions. Equine research has shown potential benefits in improving short-term insulin sensitivity, as well as reducing sensitivity to biting fly allergy. Other benefits might exist in mediating a number of inflammatory conditions.

A 2012 study by Ciftci et al published in the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology showed that while whole flax seeds contained more total fat than chia (about 45% vs. 35%), the difference in omega-3 fatty acid content was small, with about 58% of the total fat being ALA in flax and 60% in chia. These percentages might appear higher than you see on product labels as products may express omega-3 and -6 as a percentage of the total product rather than as a percentage of the total fat. Chia had slightly higher omega-6 fatty acid content compared to flax (20.37% vs. 15.3%), giving chia an omega-6 to 3 ratio of 0.35:1 versus 0.27:1 for flax. This ratio is significantly lower than other common sources of fat in the equine diet, such as rice bran oil (21:1), soybean oil (7:1), canola oil (2:1), and corn oil (46:1).

What does this mean in real world terms? It means that every 100 grams of flax provides approximately 45 grams of total fat, 26 grams of ALA omega-3, and 6.8 grams of omega-6, whereas 100 grams of chia provides approximately 35 grams of total fat, 21 grams of ALA omega-3, and 7 grams of omega-6. Remember that these values will vary with cultivar (a plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding) and growing conditions. While the fatty acid composition is where much of the attention is for these two seeds, they have other potential benefits, as well