There's a new grain on the market that many sellers are touting as the latest super-food. If you haven't heard about it already, you will soon. It's actually the seed of a mint plant. And it's been an important source of nutrients since before Columbus discovered America (it's not that new after all). But is it a super-food? Let's take a hard look before you rush out to buy some.

The marketing behind this product encourages you to add two tablespoons into various recipes to boost their nutritional content, not eat it by the bowlful. This grain is not really a food. Like flaxseed, it's more of a supplement or a functional food ingredient you can add to your recipes. But I don't know anyone who's cooking it up as a grain. That's because it's too expensive.

Just what am I talking about? A particular patent-pending variety of a grain you may have played around with in the past. Literally. For the last couple of decades, people were growing its seeds into sprouts on little clay animals. That's right. This new "super-food" is nothing more than chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L).

However, the product you'll see marketed heavily is not just any chia seed. Rather, you'll see two particular varieties of white chia re-named Salba. Marketers claim it's superior to other varieties. But just how good is chia? And is Salba all that different?

An ancient grain from Mexico and Latin America

The Aztecs, Mayans, and other Native Americans were among some of the earliest people to discover chia. They ate its seeds and added its ground flour to their foods. They didn't know at the time that it was packed with nutrients. They just knew it grew in the sandy desert where they lived and it was edible.

Over time, they discovered some of its healthful properties. For instance, chia forms a gelatinous mass when you soak the seeds in water. This led to its use as medicine for colds, sore throats, and poultices for wound healing. This gelatinous quality, and its high-fiber content, helped regulate blood sugar and energy, as well.

Chia seeds are high in protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fats. In fact, there's no plant that contains more omega-3s than chia. Not even flaxseed. You know by now many of the benefits from omega-3 fats: better brain function, a healthy heart, weight loss ... the list goes on. You can read more about them on my website if you like.

Exactly what is Salba?

Buy a pound of chia seeds and you'll see thousands of tiny black seeds and a few white ones. If you sow the white seeds, you get a plant with white flowers and white seeds. If you sow the black ones you get plants with purple flowers and black seeds.

Manufacturers have registered two varieties of chia seed as Salba and have patents pending. Do these two varieties make Salba a superior product?

Well, it depends on whom you ask. The folks at Salba claim their seeds are nutritionally superior to common black chia. But an analysis of the two conducted at an independent laboratory at the request of one of the foremost researchers on chia found them to be almost identical.

The only significant difference between white and black chia seed appears to be their color. So how can the manufacturers make such a claim? They are looking at one scientific study.

Show me the studies

You know I like to back up claims with science, so I was interested in looking at any human studies to support the many advertising claims about Salba. I found one three-month trial just published in November 2007. The researchers in this study gave Salba to a handful of people with well-controlled type-2 diabetes. Only nine of them were women.

In this study, around 35 grams of Salba a day lowered systolic blood pressure and inflammation (C-reactive protein). It also helped normalize blood sugar and reduced fibrinogen – a substance that can thicken blood and cause it to clot. So we know what affect Salba had on only nine women with type-2 diabetes that's already under control. The rest is speculation.

And there's not much evidence for black chia, either. There are several studies on the use of chia seeds on improving chicken-egg production. They indicate that chia seeds are high in healthy fats, protein, and fiber. They do not suggest how much chia is recommended for any health condition in humans.

Bottom line: Chia is a healthy supplement and functional food ingredient that's high in omega-3 fats and other important nutrients. But there's not enough evidence to suggest that Salba is superior to ordinary black chia seeds, nor worth paying four times the price of ordinary chia. In fact, Mother Nature might argue against Salba's superiority. After all, the darker the color of fruits, vegetables, and grains, the more nutritious they are. It stands to reason that black seeds would be even more nutritious than white seeds.

If you like the way chia tastes, and enjoy foods fortified with Salba, add them to your diet. Just don't believe all the hype based on so little science.

They are a great way to get more omega-3 fats in your diet. But instead of buying the patent-pending Salba, I suggest you buy chia seeds from your health food store. If you can't find them, you can purchase one-and-a-half pound bags of either white or black chia seed from Arizona Chia, Inc. in Sonoita, AZ (520-455-5050) for $13. It may not be Salba, but I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference. However, your pocketbook will.

A one-pound jar of Salba costs around $25-$30. The label suggests you take 12-60 grams per day (2-8 tablespoons). If you take two tablespoons, one jar will last a little more than a month. The higher amount will last one week. If you take the 35 grams like the nine women in the single study, one jar of Salba will last you two weeks. That's $50-$60 a month.

Pretzels, crackers, and corn chips made with Salba or other varieties of chia are likely to have higher amounts of omega-3s than foods made without them. If you like the taste and they're not too expensive, buy them instead of the regular snacks.

For more information on chia, along with a lot of recipes, pick up a copy of James F. Scheer's excellent book, The Magic of Chia (Frog, Ltd, 2001).

Warning: Sensitivity to sesame seeds is rare. But if you can't eat products with sesame (tahini), avoid all forms of chia seeds. You'll be sensitive to them, as well.

Fight Cancer, Infections, and Wrinkles With This Powerful Nutrient

You may have heard about this strange-sounding nutrient before for its ability to boost immunity. But it does much more. It fights bacteria and viruses, reduces tumors, and improves wound healing and skin elasticity. All of these are qualities associated with staying youthful and healthy. Small quantities of this ingredient are found naturally in some grains, mushrooms, and yeast. But there's an easy way to get it in a more potent form.

I'm talking about a group of non-digestible sugar molecules (polysaccharides) called beta-glucans. But not all beta-glucans are alike. Their effectiveness is determined by their molecular size, structure, and solubility. To get a therapeutic effect you need large quantities of the best-absorbed, highest quality beta-glucans you can find.

Polysaccharides are sugar molecules strung together in a particular design. Beta-glucans are just one configuration. Then there are variations in structure within different beta-glucans. The ones with the most immune and anti-tumor activity are called 1-3 beta-glucans. These are found in mushrooms and the cell walls of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

Each mushroom makes its own slightly different form of beta-glucan, stimulating the immune system differently. That's why you get better immune-boosting effects when you take a combination of medicinal mushrooms rather than just one variety. The idea is to give your body multiple mushrooms to stimulate your immune system in as many ways as possible.

While you may have heard more about beta-glucans from mushrooms, yeast-derived beta-glucans are the most extensively studied form. Published trials show that they lower cholesterol, increase healthy HDL cholesterol, support the immune system, and improve the quality of the skin. I prefer using both for the strongest combination. You can find them in a powerful formula I discovered several years ago. I'll tell you about it in a moment. First, let's look at how beta-glucans keep you healthy.

Cancer and immunity: Beta-glucans' ability to reduce the size of cancer tumors dates back to 1975, where a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported on its effects in nine cancer patients. Their tumors ranged from skin cancer to breast and lung cancer. The researchers injected beta-glucans into their tumors. And in every case, the beta-glucans reduced their tumors within five days. More recently, researchers found that yeast-derived beta-glucans has immune-enhancing properties in laboratory, animal, and human studies.

But immune support doesn't start and stop with anti-cancer activity. Beta-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulates them to surround and destroy bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. I can attest to some of this. Since I've taken medicinal mushrooms with added beta-glucans I've had just one head cold in the past six years – rather than my usual two or more severe bouts with the flu or pneumonia every year.

Fights infection: In another study, researchers gave beta-glucans to half of a group of high-risk patients undergoing abdominal or gastrointestinal surgery. They gave the other half a placebo. The patients who took beta-glucans had significantly fewer infections after surgery, needed less antibiotics, and spent a shorter time in intensive care.

Beta-glucans work by binding to white blood cells and stimulating free radical production. This signals immune cells to destroy foreign bodies (i.e., bacteria, viruses, parasites, and tumor cells). The ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria is directly proportionate to the dose of beta-glucans. The more you use, the better the results.

When researchers gave beta-glucans along with antibiotics, the antibiotics became more effective. So be sure to take a beta-glucans supplement or mushroom formula with and after any antibiotic.

Younger, healthier skin: Studies out of East Tennessee State University found that beta-glucans stimulate wound healing after surgery by activating skin cells to regenerate. They also act as an anti-inflammatory. They're so powerful that they even help heal bedsores. And they improve your skin.

As we age, scavenger cells under the skin, designed to remove topical skin debris and keep it wrinkle-free, become overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to do. They work more slowly and don't recognize changes in skin pigmentation as debris. Beta-glucans change this. In fact, a study of 150 women found that they improved skin elasticity and moisture. They even reduced the amount and depth of their wrinkles. Not a bad side effect for an immune-booster!

Beta-glucans also protect skin cells from exposure to sunlight. One study found that they prevented sunburn and damaged skin cells by 50% when they were used topically. But don't think of them as a sunscreen. They're not. They protect skin cells so they're less likely to become damaged from exposure to UV rays.

Cosmetic manufacturers already have added beta-glucans to some of their formulas and I expect to see more in the future. Not all are likely to be good quality, so try them and see if they work for you. You know as well as I do that healthy skin begins on the inside. One of the best ways I know of to have younger, moister skin is to take beta-glucan supplements.

Allergies: A recent small study took a fine, well-absorbed oral beta-glucans formula and gave it to 30 people with pollen allergies. Half of them had less itchy eyes, sneezing, and drippy noses within two weeks. I expect we'll see more studies using this nutrient to suppress allergy symptoms. For now, don't be surprised if your symptoms lessen when you start taking beta-glucans.

Mushrooms vs. yeast? Take both

Mushrooms are the most common food source for this nutrient, and the cofactors present in any food enhance its benefits. So eat plenty of shiitake and other culinary mushrooms if you enjoy them. But to get the greatest amounts of well-absorbed beta-glucans, supplements pack the strongest punch.

All mushroom formulas contain some beta-glucans. Some even contain high quantities. But more is not always better. The issue is how well beta-glucans activate an immune response. This depends on its source, size, how it's processed (some beta-glucans clump together, making them less absorbable), and whether or not its particles are uniform. The bigger and heavier the molecules, the less effective they are. Beta-glucans that clump together and have varying sizes are often sold in high quantities. They aren't effective in any amount.

The structure of the beta-glucan molecules in MycoPhyto Complex, the formula I've taken for years, prevents it from clumping. It's also clinically proven to be effective by a leading integrative oncologist. Each serving (two capsules) of MycoPhyto Complex already contains 33 mg of yeast-derived beta-glucans, along with the additional amount found in the mushrooms it contains.

But since large amounts of well-absorbed beta-glucans work best for therapeutic effects, I've asked to have this amount increased. It now contains 50 mg of yeast-derived beta-glucans per dose. And Advanced Bionutritionals (800-728-2288) is now stocking this new and improved formula.

By the way, MycoPhyto Plus is an exclusive formula available only through Advanced Bionutritionals. You won't find this fantastic product anywhere else. And once you've tried it, please let me know how well it works for you.

Eat This to Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes, Weight Gain, and Colon Cancer

I usually eat a Mediterranean diet — lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, goat cheese, olive oil, and sometimes a small glass of red wine with dinner. It's considered to be one of the most healthful diets you can eat.

As a vegetarian, I just omit any fish. Instead, I add a food that's high in protein and important minerals. Its unique characteristics protect me against diabetes, heart disease, and colon cancer. It also keeps my weight down.

This is a common, inexpensive food you can find in every supermarket in the country. Yet some people haven't ever tasted it. I think it's one of the most beneficial foods you can add to your diet. Make it a regular part of your meals and you, too, can enjoy its many healthful benefits.

If you haven't figured it out already, this food is the chickpea, or garbanzo bean. It's one of many legumes that are popular throughout India, Egypt, and the Middle East. There, both the bean itself and its flour are a dietary staple. Chickpeas have a mild taste, which lends them to be included in soups, salads, curries, and a dip called hummus. If you stay away from beans because they cause gas, I'll have some solutions for you in a minute.

Building healthy bones and muscles

Chickpeas are higher than other plant foods in several nutrients. These include calcium and magnesium, two minerals essential for strong bones. Less than half a cup of chickpeas contains 190 mg of calcium and 140 mg of magnesium. Studies are finding that dietary calcium is better absorbed than calcium supplements (see page 4), so include calcium-rich foods in your diet. These beans are also high in bone building, heart-regulating phosphorous.

They're also 23% protein. Because plant proteins lack some essential amino acids, eat chickpeas with a little rice, millet, wheat pilaf, crackers, or bread to get a complete protein.

Chickpeas also have more resistant starch than other foods. Resistant starch is a starch that isn't completely digested or absorbed in the small intestines. Instead, it migrates into the large intestines and acts like fiber. Here's what it does:

•It has a mild laxative effect that keeps you regular and helps move wastes gently through your colon.

•It's a prebiotic fiber, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in your intestines.

•It increases short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the end products of bacterial fermentation. Butyrate, one SCFA, protects against colon cancer. The more resistant starch you eat, the lower your risk of getting this cancer.

•It lowers the glycemic response of other carbohydrates eaten at a meal. When you eat a potato, your blood sugar rises quickly and then drops. But if you add chickpeas to that meal, glucose is released slowly and steadily, eliminating this spiking and subsequent low blood sugar.

•It helps control your weight in three ways: increasing fiber, replacing higher calorie foods with lower calorie foods, and helping to burn fat before carbohydrates and protein.

Prevents diabetes

A meal high in resistant starch (chickpeas) or soluble fiber (beta-glucan from mushrooms), reduces insulin surges and low blood sugar. When you take them together, you get even more blood sugar stability. When researchers combined resistant starch with beta-glucan in overweight women, it dropped their blood sugar to the same levels as in women of normal weight. Ordinarily, overweight women have more insulin resistance and higher blood sugar than women of normal weight.

Got gas?

Legumes cause gas when you don't have enough enzymes to digest them. Here are three solutions. First, begin eating them in small amounts – like a tablespoonful at a time. Add a few chickpeas to your soup or salad. Gradually increase the amount.

If you still bloat, take digestive enzymes found in health food stores, many supermarkets, and drugstores. One product, designed to digest legumes, is Beano. Always take Beano before your first mouthful of beans. You can take other enzymes before, during, or after a meal.

If you'd like relief and don't want to take enzymes forever, try IDF, Integrated Digestive Formula (800-728-2288). It repairs the digestive tract over time. You may need to take it with each meal for several months or longer. But eventually, you should be able to eat healthy foods without any discomfort. I used to get gas from beans, but no more. With IDF, I can eat just about anything without discomfort.

Food ideas

I add canned chickpeas to my salads and soups, and I make, or buy, hummus often. Hummus is a Middle-Eastern purée made from chickpeas and mild spices. I eat it with whole grain crackers or baby carrots. Sometimes I thin it with a little more olive oil and lemon juice and use it as a salad dressing. I use canned chickpeas, but you can soak the dried beans overnight and simmer for two hours or more if you prefer. Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste.

References are available at www.womenshealthletter.com

Health Detective

Dietary Calcium vs. Supplements

Dieticians, nutritionists, and even some doctors of integrative medicine, have got it all wrong. You don't need to take high quantities of calcium supplements. You need to get more calcium from your diet.

I've been saying this for decades! And now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis agree with me.

They recently studied nearly 200 postmenopausal women. The women who got most of their calcium from supplements had lower bone density than those who got most from their diet. The combination of diet and supplements resulted in the highest bone density in the spine and hips.

Your body absorbs only about 35% of the calcium in supplements. Another drawback with taking a lot of calcium supplements is that it causes other problems. Whatever you can't absorb isn't washed out in your urine, as some people think. It gets stored in your joints where it can cause arthritis, or in your arteries where it becomes atherosclerosis.

It's best not to overdo calcium supplements. I suggest you take around 500 mg – not the 1,000-1,500 mg that Western medicine promotes – even to prevent osteoporosis. Get the rest from your diet. Dairy, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains all contain good quantities of calcium. Many also are rich in magnesium, the mineral that transports calcium into your bones. That's where you want it to go, isn't it?

Strontium will do more to help build strong, flexible bones than taking more calcium. And it won't cause any problems, either. This is why, in answer to many of your questions, I suggest taking 500 mg each of calcium and magnesium, and a bone formula with strontium. To get these amounts, I personally take Vitality Plus and Ultimate Bone Support. And I suggest you do the same. You can order both by calling 800-728-2288.

One final note: Please remember that you can't take strontium and calcium at the same time. The two compete against each other. And taking them together will reduce the effectiveness of the strontium. To avoid this problem, all you have to do is take Ultimate Bone Support first thing in the morning when you wake up and another one before you go to bed at night.

Washington University School of Medicine, 2007.

Ask Dr. Nan

Q: My 85-year-old mother has erosive lichen planus on her tongue that causes pain and burning. Her doctor said it was from an immune dysfunction. She's tried prednisone, lidocaine rinse, and Orajel. None have helped. Can you help? — R.S., e-mail

A: Lichen planus is an inflammatory condition. Some people feel a roughness in their mouth, or are sensitive to hot or spicy foods. Others have sore gums, painful ulcers on the tongue, or other oral lesions.

Oral lichen planus isn't something women should ignore. Twenty-five percent of women who have this condition get a similar outbreak on their genitals. Men have only a 2-4% risk. More than 70% of people with this condition get lesions on their skin. So begin today to help your mother get control of the lichen planus on her tongue.

One of the primary causes is drugs. It's a common side effect of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), beta-blockers, and other medications. If your mother is taking any prescriptions, talk with your pharmacist and make sure one of them didn't cause her condition.

Here are two more suggestions: First, boost her immunity with a strong immune formula like MycoPhyto Complex powder. Have her take as much as she can in divided doses throughout the day. Begin with one-quarter teaspoon, two to three times a day. You can mix it in food or liquids. Gradually increase the amount to one teaspoon. The medications she's tried don't support immune function. Prednisone, in fact, can have the opposite effect. At 85 years of age, your mother's immune system can probably use support.

Then add a safe anti-inflammatory formula. My favorite one is InflaThera from ProThera (888-488-2488). It's stronger and cheaper than anything you can find in health food stores. Have her take it according to directions on the label. If that's not enough, she can safely double the suggested amount.

Sugarman, P., MDSc, PhD. "Oral lichen planus," www.emedicine.com/derm.

Q: I feel uneasy about using PectaSol because I have no unpleasant symptoms as it draws toxins out of my tissues. Shouldn't I have a reaction when it pulls toxins from my body? – M.L., e-mail

A: PectaSol Chelation Complex slowly and gradually removes heavy metal toxins, such as mercury and lead, allowing a slower — and safer — detoxification without side effects. It's not anything like the strong chemical compounds EDTA, DMPS, and DMSA. These traditional chelation chemicals have a toxic effect as they bind to, and pull out, heavy metals. And what many people don't know is that these harsh chemicals also remove essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, and calcium. PectaSol doesn't.

When a product pulls essential minerals from your body, it creates an imbalance in the tissues. Actually, some of the side effects associated with detoxification, like headaches, mood changes, and muscle aches, often come from a lack of essential minerals, not the detoxification process itself.

Detoxification should be slow and gentle and not cause any side effects. That's why I like PectaSol Chelation Complex. It removes the toxic heavy metals and leaves the minerals you need in your tissues. Don't worry if you don't feel anything. Clinical studies have proven it works. You can order PectaSol Chelation Complex by calling 800-728-2288.