There’s a lot more to sesame seeds than just serving as a sprinkling on your hamburger bun—they may possess some heart-healthy benefits. Sesame seeds come from the sesame plant (Sesamum indicum), which is grown in various areas of the world, including India and Africa.
They are commonly used in certain dishes found in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. These seeds are chock-full of nutrients, including protein, manganese, vitamin E, unsaturated fats, and fiber.
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The health benefits of sesame seeds have been known for centuries, and they have been used in Chinese and Indian medicine to treat certain medical conditions, including skin infections, baldness, and promoting dental health.
Sesame seeds, as well as the individual ingredients found in the seed, have also been studied in the treatment of diabetes, certain bowel diseases, and high blood pressure. Some studies also suggest that consuming sesame seeds may help lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, too.
What is a Healthy Cholesterol Level By Age?
Adding Sesame Seeds to Lower Cholesterol
There have been a few studies looking at the effect of sesame seeds on lipid levels, but the results have been mixed. Most of these studies included people who already had high cholesterol and/or high triglyceride levels.
In research studies, people using sesame seeds to control their lipids consumed between 25 to 50 grams of sesame seeds or seeds ground into a powder daily for up to two months.This is approximately two to three tablespoons of sesame seeds. Because sesame seeds are high in fat, many studies replaced calories normally consumed in the diet with sesame seeds instead of adding them to their daily diet.
In some studies, sesame seeds did not appear to have a significant effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
In a few of the studies, it was shown that consuming sesame seeds daily:
In some of these studies, there was a slightly positive effect on HDL cholesterol and triglycerides but this effect was not significant.
How Sesame Seeds Affect Your Cholesterol
Sesame seeds contain a lot of healthy ingredients that have been shown to affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels in studies, including:
Incorporating Sesame Seeds Into Your Diet
There are a few promising studies that have shown that sesame seeds can lower lipid levels. However, there are other studies that suggest that sesame seeds do not have a significant impact on your lipids.
So, the verdict is still out as to whether or not sesame seeds can be used to help lower your high cholesterol or triglyceride levels, and more studies are needed to understand the effects.
Despite the mixed results, sesame seeds would still be a good food to include in your cholesterol-lowering diet because they are high in protein,fiber, and healthy fats, and low in sugar. There are many ways to include these seeds and their oils in your healthy diet, including:
Even though sesame seeds are high in healthy fats, they can also be high in calories, especially if you consume a lot of them. So if you would like to include this tasty seed in your cholesterol-lowering diet, make sure that you are keeping track of how much you add to your foods.
Sesame Seed Allergy and Cross-Reactivity
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.Namayandeh SM, Kaseb F, Lesan S.Olive and sesame oil effect on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic patients, which better?Int J Prev Med.2013 Sep;4(9):1059-62. PMID: 24130948; PMCID: PMC3793488.Additional ReadingAlipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.Khadem Haghighi M, Alipoor B, Eftekhar Sadat B, Malek Mahdavi A, Moghaddam A, Vatankhah AM.Effects of Sesame Seed Supplementation on Lipid Profile and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.Health Promot Perspect. 2014;4(1):90-7.Mirmiran P, Bahadoran Z, Golzarand et al. Ardeh(Sesamum Indicum) Could Improve Serum Triglycerides and Atherogenic Lipid Parameters in Type 2 Diabetics: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Arch Iran Med2013; 16: 652-656.Natural Standard. (2014). Sesame [Monograph].
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.Namayandeh SM, Kaseb F, Lesan S.Olive and sesame oil effect on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic patients, which better?Int J Prev Med.2013 Sep;4(9):1059-62. PMID: 24130948; PMCID: PMC3793488.Additional ReadingAlipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.Khadem Haghighi M, Alipoor B, Eftekhar Sadat B, Malek Mahdavi A, Moghaddam A, Vatankhah AM.Effects of Sesame Seed Supplementation on Lipid Profile and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.Health Promot Perspect. 2014;4(1):90-7.Mirmiran P, Bahadoran Z, Golzarand et al. Ardeh(Sesamum Indicum) Could Improve Serum Triglycerides and Atherogenic Lipid Parameters in Type 2 Diabetics: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Arch Iran Med2013; 16: 652-656.Natural Standard. (2014). Sesame [Monograph].
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Alipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.Namayandeh SM, Kaseb F, Lesan S.Olive and sesame oil effect on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic patients, which better?Int J Prev Med.2013 Sep;4(9):1059-62. PMID: 24130948; PMCID: PMC3793488.
Alipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.
Namayandeh SM, Kaseb F, Lesan S.Olive and sesame oil effect on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic patients, which better?Int J Prev Med.2013 Sep;4(9):1059-62. PMID: 24130948; PMCID: PMC3793488.
Alipoor B, Haghighian MK, Sadat BE, Asghari M.Effect of Sesame Seed on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Hyperlipidemic Patients.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2012;63(6):674-8.Khadem Haghighi M, Alipoor B, Eftekhar Sadat B, Malek Mahdavi A, Moghaddam A, Vatankhah AM.Effects of Sesame Seed Supplementation on Lipid Profile and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.Health Promot Perspect. 2014;4(1):90-7.Mirmiran P, Bahadoran Z, Golzarand et al. Ardeh(Sesamum Indicum) Could Improve Serum Triglycerides and Atherogenic Lipid Parameters in Type 2 Diabetics: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Arch Iran Med2013; 16: 652-656.Natural Standard. (2014). Sesame [Monograph].
Khadem Haghighi M, Alipoor B, Eftekhar Sadat B, Malek Mahdavi A, Moghaddam A, Vatankhah AM.Effects of Sesame Seed Supplementation on Lipid Profile and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.Health Promot Perspect. 2014;4(1):90-7.
Mirmiran P, Bahadoran Z, Golzarand et al. Ardeh(Sesamum Indicum) Could Improve Serum Triglycerides and Atherogenic Lipid Parameters in Type 2 Diabetics: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Arch Iran Med2013; 16: 652-656.
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