How we rate
“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.
Sesame
In small trials, mainly in diabetics, sesame lowers fasting blood glucose and triglycerides; but the evidence is judged to be of very low certainty, and compared to rapeseed oil, sesame oil does not change fat mass. It is also an allergen.
Benefits
- Glycaemia: in type 2 diabetics, sesame lowered fasting blood glucose by 28.61 mg/dL and HbA1c by 0.99 points in 8 trials (395 participants), without changing insulin.
- Glycaemia, in adults in general: −21.31 mg/dL fasting blood glucose and −0.75 points HbA1c in 8 trials of oil, sesamin or tahini, with no effect on insulin resistance.
- Triglycerides: −0.24 mmol/L in 10 controlled trials, while total cholesterol, LDL and HDL did not change significantly.
- Blood pressure: −7.83 mmHg systolic in 8 trials (843 participants); limited to the 4 good-quality trials, the reduction is only 3.23 mmHg.
- Sesamin in capsules: −10.89 mg/dL total cholesterol, −8.43 mg/dL LDL and −3.66 mmHg systolic pressure, with no effect on weight, HDL or triglycerides.
- Liver: in 53 women with hepatic steatosis, on a diet, 30 g of sesame oil per day for 12 weeks lowered liver enzymes (ALT, AST) and steatosis grade more than sunflower oil.
Precautions
Allergy: sesame causes allergic reactions in about 0.1 to 0.2% of the population; if you are allergic, it has no place in your diet, and talk to a doctor if in doubt. Limitations: evidence of very low certainty: the meta-analysis assessed by the GRADE method reports huge reductions (−20.78 mmHg systolic, −7.51 kg) over 6 trials of 4 to 8 weeks, but judges the evidence very low and clinical plausibility uncertain. Heterogeneity: the glycaemia trials strongly contradict each other (heterogeneity of 98%), and the blood pressure trials too (99%). Compared to another oil, the effect melts away: against sunflower oil for 12 weeks, sesame oil changed neither weight, nor systolic pressure, nor cholesterol, only diastolic and the total cholesterol/HDL ratio. Inflammation: in 7 trials (310 participants), sesame lowered interleukin-6, but neither CRP nor TNF-α. A single protocol counts multiple times: three of the trials in this sheet share the same registration number (sesame oil, rapeseed oil or blend, 9 weeks per period).
Recommended dosage
The oil trials tested 30 g per day for 12 weeks, or the replacement of cooking oil for 9 weeks.
How to take it
- For whom: most trials involve type 2 diabetics, hypertensive people, overweight people or those with hepatic steatosis.
- Form: sesame oil, sesamin in capsules, seeds or tahini depending on the trials; meta-analyses mix them.
- Oil: 30 g per day instead of sunflower oil, for 12 weeks, in two trials conducted in women.
- Trial duration: from 45 days to 12 weeks; no longer trial in this sheet.
- What does not work: replacing your oil with sesame oil for 9 weeks did not change fat mass or body composition, compared to rapeseed oil, in 73 healthy adults.
- What does not work: in 93 diabetics, weight even increased slightly with sesame oil as with rapeseed oil (+0.34 and +0.33 kg), changes of little clinical importance.
Did you know?
Meta-analyses report up to −20.78 mmHg of systolic pressure with sesame, but when 73 adults replaced their cooking oil with sesame oil or rapeseed oil for 9 weeks, their fat mass did not change any more with one than with the other.
What the studies say
This meta-analysis, covering six trials and 465 prehypertensive or hypertensive participants, evaluated the effects of sesame supplementation on cardiovascular health. It showed reductions in weight, BMI, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), total cholesterol, triglycerides, and an increase in HDL-cholesterol. However, the overall quality of evidence was judged very low, requiring higher-quality studies to confirm these results.
Mardani H, Ghalichi F, Fashtali ZM, Ardakany SJ, Yousefabady MA, Mohajerani A, Musazadeh V, Jafari A. — Clinical hypertension (2025) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more