Benefits
Blood pressure readings in adults with above-normal levels
In 30 adults with above-normal blood pressure, 2.52 g a day of black sesame meal in capsules for 4 weeks lowered systolic pressure more than placebo (about 8 mmHg within the sesame group); the investigators were applying for a patent on the meal. A pooled analysis of 8 controlled trials found lower readings, but results varied widely, and a placebo-controlled crossover using 25 g of seeds a day found no change.
Blood sugar markers when sesame oil replaces other cooking oil
In 60 women with fatty liver on a calorie-reduced diet, 30 g a day of sesame oil for 12 weeks lowered fasting glucose and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) more than sunflower oil. A pooled analysis of 8 trials found lower fasting glucose and HbA1c with sesame products, but no change in fasting insulin or HOMA-IR. The pooled trials tested sesame oil, sesamin or tahini.
Triglycerides and cholesterol
A pooled analysis of 10 controlled trials found sesame lowered triglycerides by about 0.24 mmol/L but did not significantly change total, LDL or HDL cholesterol. In a 5-week placebo-controlled crossover in 33 overweight adults, 25 g of sesame a day left blood lipids unchanged. In one oil trial, the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio fell more with sesame oil than sunflower oil.
Artery lining function (flow-mediated dilation)
In 30 men with high blood pressure, 35 g a day of sesame oil for 2 months improved flow-mediated dilation, an ultrasound measure of how well the artery lining relaxes, while men who kept their usual oils (mostly olive or corn) did not improve; the difference between groups was significant. The men were already taking blood pressure medicine, the report does not describe random assignment, and an oil company helped fund it.
Gamma-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) retention
Sesame lignans slow the breakdown of gamma-tocopherol. In a randomized crossover in 10 healthy adults, muffins made with unrefined sesame oil cut urinary gamma-tocopherol breakdown products for 24 hours compared with corn oil. In a 4-week capsule trial, plasma vitamin E rose more with black sesame meal than with placebo. Whether this changes any health outcome is unknown.
A food source of sesame lignans
In a placebo-controlled crossover, 25 g of sesame a day (about 50 mg of lignans) raised urinary enterolactone and enterodiol, the lignan forms made in the body, about 8-fold. In the same trial this did not improve blood lipids, blood pressure, or markers of inflammation or oxidative stress.
Mechanism of action
Lignans inhibit the enzyme CYP4F2
In lab tests with human liver and kidney microsomes, sesamin blocked 20-HETE production and was selective for CYP4F2 (IC50 1.9 micromol/L), an enzyme that breaks down vitamin E and makes 20-HETE from arachidonic acid. In people, unrefined sesame oil slowed gamma-tocopherol breakdown in a single-meal crossover.
Lower 20-HETE, a blood-vessel signaling compound
Relative to a matched control, 25 g of sesame a day for 5 weeks lowered plasma 20-HETE by 28% and urinary 20-HETE by 32% in 33 overweight adults. Blood pressure did not change in that trial, so the link to clinical effects is unproven.
Conversion to mammalian lignans
Sesame lignans are converted in the body to enterolactone and enterodiol, whose urinary excretion rose about 8-fold with daily sesame. These compounds are markers of lignan intake; their own effects were not measured as outcomes.
Clinical trials
Randomized, placebo-controlled crossover at a university research center: 25 g/day of sesame (about 50 mg/day of lignans) or an isocaloric placebo matched for macronutrients, 5 weeks each with 4-week washouts; outcomes were blood lipids, daytime ambulatory blood pressure, CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha and F2-isoprostanes; a companion paper reported 20-HETE from the same trial. (Wu et al. 2009, Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis)
33 overweight or obese men and women in Australia.
Relative to placebo, sesame did not change any of the outcomes listed in the study details. Urinary enterolactone and enterodiol rose about 8-fold, and the companion report found plasma and urinary 20-HETE fell 28% and 32%. The authors concluded sesame raised lignan exposure without improving those markers.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial of 2.52 g/day black sesame meal capsules for 4 weeks, analyzed by ANCOVA adjusted for baseline; funded by a Khon Kaen University grant; the authors declared they were applying for a patent on black sesame meal. (Wichitsranoi et al. 2011, Nutr J)
30 adults (mean age about 50) with prehypertension in Thailand, 15 per group, not taking blood pressure medicine.
Systolic pressure fell from 129.3 to 121.0 mmHg in the sesame group and barely changed with placebo; the decrease was greater than placebo after adjusting for baseline (P < 0.05). The diastolic change did not differ between groups. After adjusting for baseline, MDA was lower and plasma vitamin E higher than with placebo. No side effects were seen. Small and short.
Randomized, double-blind controlled trial of 30 g/day sesame oil or sunflower oil for 12 weeks alongside a 500 kcal/day calorie-reduced diet; registered (IRCT20140208016529N6) and reported in separate papers on glucose, liver and blood pressure outcomes. (Atefi et al. 2025, BMC Nutr)
60 women aged 20 to 50 with metabolic dysfunction-associated (nonalcoholic) fatty liver disease and BMI 25 to 40 in Iran; 53 completed.
Compared with sunflower oil, sesame oil lowered fasting glucose (mean difference -18.2 mg/dL), fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. hs-CRP and MDA did not differ, and weight loss was similar. The blood pressure report found greater falls in diastolic pressure and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio after adjustment, with no difference in systolic pressure or other lipids.
Randomized, triple-blind, three-way crossover in which participants replaced their usual oil with sesame, canola or a sesame-canola blend for 9 weeks each. (Raeisi-Dehkordi et al. 2021, Diabetes Metab Res Rev)
Adults with type 2 diabetes in Iran; 92 completed all three periods.
All three oils improved fasting insulin and insulin sensitivity within periods, and sesame and the blend also improved HOMA2-IR and QUICKI. The abstract reports a between-oil difference only in a subgroup: in men, sesame oil gave lower fasting insulin and HOMA2-IR than canola oil. Liver enzyme GGT was lower after sesame than canola in women, but the difference in change was not significant.
Two-phase controlled study: a single meal with 35 g of sesame oil or 35 g of olive or corn oil, then 35 g/day of sesame oil as the salad oil for 2 months while the control group kept its usual oils (mostly olive and corn); allocation was 1:1 and random assignment is not described. Partly funded by Haitoglou Bros SA. (Karatzi et al. 2013, Eur J Prev Cardiol)
30 men with hypertension in Greece, all taking blood pressure medicine (17 sesame and 13 control completed the 2-month phase).
Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery improved after the sesame oil meal (between-group p = 0.007) and at 15, 30 and 60 days of daily use, while the control group trended worse (p = 0.040); the between-group interaction was significant (p = 0.003) in the full text. ICAM-1 fell within the sesame group at 60 days, but the change did not differ from control. Small, and random assignment is not described.
Randomized two-group trial of white sesame seed oil versus a control group, with blood tests at 0, 30, 60 and 90 days; the abstract does not state the oil dose or the control diet. (Aslam et al. 2019, J Am Coll Nutr)
46 adults with type 2 diabetes, 23 per group.
At 90 days, fasting glucose was 137.8 mg/dL with sesame oil versus 218.1 mg/dL in controls (baseline about 187 mg/dL in both), HbA1c and TBARS were lower, and fasting insulin was higher with sesame oil. Other blood chemistry, including liver and kidney function markers, also differed in favor of sesame oil. The rise in the control group and the unreported dose limit interpretation.
Systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of controlled trials of sesame consumption on blood pressure, searched to August 2016. (Khosravi-Boroujeni et al. 2017, J Sci Food Agric)
8 controlled trials with 843 participants in total.
Pooled results showed lower systolic (-7.83 mmHg) and diastolic (-5.83 mmHg) pressure, but heterogeneity was very high (I2 98 to 99%). Restricted to the 4 higher-quality trials, systolic pressure fell 3.23 mmHg and the diastolic change was not significant. The authors called for larger, better-designed trials.