Sesame: nutrition, plant compounds and health effects
What it found
Sesame seeds and their lignans, especially sesamin, have been linked to antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, anti-inflammatory and other effects in lab tests, animals and some human trials.
The authors say more and better research is needed.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar in people
In an 8-week trial in people with type 2 diabetes, those given a sesame oil mixture, glibenclamide, or both had lower fasting and after-meal glucose at weeks 4 and 8. Their HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol were also lower, while HDL cholesterol rose.
Animal and lab studies
Blood sugar in animals
In diabetic rats fed a diet with 12% white sesame oil for 60 days, fasting blood sugar was lower than in diabetic rats on the control diet. The authors say the oil reduced high blood sugar and other markers of liver stress.
Safety in animals
Sesame seed oil given to mice at doses up to 3.0 g/kg caused no toxicity over 48 hours. An ethanolic extract of sesame seeds given to rats at 50 to 2000 mg/kg caused no side effects over 7 days.
Studies in people and animals
Blood pressure and heart
In people with rheumatoid arthritis, sesamin supplements lowered a marker of oxidative stress and raised total antioxidant capacity, and their body weight, BMI and systolic blood pressure fell. In rats, sesamin suppressed the rise in systolic blood pressure and improved heart damage.
Other findings
Nutritional makeup
Sesame seeds contain 21.9% protein and 61.7% fat, and are rich in minerals such as iron and calcium. The oil content ranges from 37% to 63% depending on the variety and growing season.
Lignans and antioxidants
Sesame lignans, mainly sesamin and sesamolin, are the main active ingredients and have strong antioxidant activity. Black sesame seeds have the highest sesamin, sesamol and total lignan content, while white sesame seeds have relatively low sesamin.
What the authors conclude
- They say sesame seeds and sesame oil are richer in phytochemicals and have higher nutritional value than other plant organs of sesame.
- They state that sesamin, sesamol and other components have a variety of pharmacological effects and are of great benefit to human health.
- They call for further research to explore the pharmacological effects of sesame, because some studies lack basic pharmacological parameters.
How it was done
Sesame is an ancient oil crop with high nutritional value and many reported health benefits, but most reviews cover only one aspect of it. The authors wanted to bring together its nutritional value, chemical makeup, pharmacological effects and processing uses.
The authors gathered and described published research on sesame, including its nutrients, plant compounds, and effects in cells, animals and people. They also covered how sesame is used in food, medicine, cosmetics, feed and industry.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the effects described come from lab tests or animal studies, which cannot show what happens in people.
- The human trials were small and looked at specific groups, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- This is a review of published research, so it cannot prove that sesame causes any of the effects seen.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, China; Jining Medical University, China; Naval Medical University, China
The paper
- Title
- Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.): A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition, Health Benefits, Development of Food, and Industrial Applications
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Wei P, Zhao F, Wang Z, et al (2022). Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.): A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition, Health Benefits, Development of Food, and Industrial Applications. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14194079Free full textPubMed 36235731DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error