Nutrition

21 Health Benefits Of Sesame Seeds

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Tiny seeds but mighty in nutrients, sesame seeds have been a culinary staple for ages. These seeds are packed with nutrients and have an impressive profile of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

These seeds can be consumed whole, roasted, or ground into a tahini paste to enhance your body in various ways. Let us dive into the top 21 health benefits that sesame seeds can offer for you.

1. Can Help To Prevent Diabetes

Benefits of sesame seeds include diabetes control in people. Due to presence of large amount of nutrients like fiber, magnesium, and healthy fats, these seeds can be your ally in preventing diabetes.

Sesame seeds can slow down the release of sugar into your blood vessels, and this will dlead to decrease in spikes. Moreover, Sesame also contains pinoresinol, a compound that can aid to inhibit an enzyme that breaks down sugar.

With these seeds, you can improve your plasma glucose level too. Hence this seed is a great inculsion to your diet.

2. Can Decrease Blood Pressure

Sesame seeds may be small, but their impact on blood pressure can be quite great. Due to presence of magnesium, sesame seeds (even oil) can help you in contorlling your blood pressure level.

Magnesium is known to relax your blood vessels, and this especially help during high blood pressure situations.

Meanwhile, the seed's anti-inflammatory properties also assists in staibalizing the blood pressure. Take these seeds in your daily diet, and this can help you in your blood pressure woes.

3. Can Promote Heart Health

These tiny seeds are nutrients powerhouse that can lower your risk of heart disease and promote overall heart health. Magnesium will help to stabilize your blood pressure, while healthy fats can combat bad cholesterol.

Consuming sesame seeds can also help in prevention of atherosclerotic lesions due to the rich presence of antioxidants and compounds like sesamol.

Hence, enjoy sesame seeds via vegetables, salads, or even dessert to boost your daily contribution to a healthy heart. 

4. Has Anti-Cancer Properties

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Beyond their nutty taste, Sesame seed health benefits include help in cancer prevention. These tiny seeds contain many compounds that have anti-cancer properties like magnesium, phytosterols, and phytic acid.

With the presence of such compounds, it is no wonder that consuming sesame seeds frequently can aid you in combating cancer. Moreover, sesame seeds have the biggest concentration of phytosterols in all the known seeds.

Thus, incorporate sesame seeds into your meal plan, and this could aid you in fighting against cancer.

5. Can Aid To Relieve Arthritis

If you are suffering from achy joints, sesame seeds can be your friend in combating this issue. Sesame features anti-inflammatory properties that might help you with arthritis.

With the presence of compounds like sesamin, these seeds can reduce the pain and inflammation in individuals with osteoarthritis. 

They also contain minerals like copper that help prevent arthritis and relieve people who have it. Hence, people with this condition should take this food for relief.

6. Can Prevent Wrinkles

Worried about your wrinkles in old age? If so, then sesame seeds may be your new anti-aging ally. These tiny seeds are nutrient powerhouses that contain antioxidants that help to tackle this issue.

Sesame seeds' antioxidants aid in fighting free radicals, which are the primary antagonists behind skin damage. Their vitamin E content is another plus point, as they help to promote skin elasticity and keep you wrinkleless.

Although sesame seeds cannot erase every line, including them in your diet could be a big step toward a more youthful you.

7. Can Promote Eye Health

Sesame seeds can be your secret ally for promoting your eye health. These seeds are filled with lots of nutrients that are beneficial for your eye, like antioxidants and omega-6 fatty acids.

These nutrients can aid in preventing age-related macular degeneration as well as dryness. Moreover, sesame seeds have been linked to improved blood circulation, and this can benefit overall eye health.

Black sesame seeds are better for eye health than other variants. Include these black seeds to help in your eye health journey.

8. Can Reduce Anxiety

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Sesame seeds can boost your ability to reduce anxiety, a major problem for students and employed people. With the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium, Sesame seeds can combat this issue.

They also feature an amino acid called tryptophan that helps produce serotonin, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter.

Low serotonin levels are connected to lesser anxiety as they aid in pain relief, good sleep, and mood assistance. Meanwhile, sesame seed's vitamins (thiamin) also help to combat this issue.

9. Can Prevent Radiation Damage

A unique health benefit of Sesame seed is that its consumption can help in the prevention of radiation damage to your DNA. This is all thanks to a powerful compound known as sesamol.

Sesamol is an antioxidant found in the seed, and it can protect cellular DNA from radiation damage and may even aid in its repair processes. Sesamol acts as a defense mechanism for your DNA against radiation.

Incorporating this food into your daily diet offers a natural chance to fight radiation and preserve your valuable DNA from external harm.

10. Can Promote Skin Health

Caring for your skin is vital, and sesame seeds can help you in this process. These tiny nutritional powerhouses are loaded with antioxidants that combat free radicals, which damage skin and contribute to wrinkles.

Moreover, sesame seeds also boast compounds that help to soothe irritation and redness due to their anti-inflammatory properties.

Sesame also features a high zinc content that makes collagen. These collagens are essential for making skin more elastic and making your skin youthful and plump.

11. Can Help In Bone Health

With a high presence of minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, sesame seeds can help promote your bone health and strengthen bones.

Sesame seed's calcium content is rich and contains even more than a glass of milk. This could help an individual to build strong bones. Likewise, sesame seed's zinc also contributes to bone mineral density.

You should remember that these seeds contain compounds like phytates and oxalates that can reduce the minerals' absorption. However, this absorption rate can be decreased by roasting or soaking the seeds.

12. Can Help Oral Health

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These tiny seeds contain various minerals like calcium, integral for strong teeth and bones. Chewing them may help stimulate gums and remove plaque buildup.

Sesame oil also features lots of anti-bacterial properties. It is used in an ancient practice called oil pulling, which is utilized for cleansing the mouth and removing bad breath.

Include these seeds in your diet to care about your teeth and overall oral health. However, you should not leave your usual brushing routine.

13. Can Offer Anemia Relief

Sesame seeds are rich in nutrients like iron, which is important for red blood cell production. The presence of iron implies that Sesame seeds can be your crucial ally to relieve or prevent anemia. 

Iron can help you during anemia by raising your red blood cell levels. Maintaining a strong RBC count will also prevent anaemia from occurrence. Sesame seeds also feature copper which aids in iron absorption.

Hence, take these seeds in your daily meals so that you can control your RBC count and maintain a  anemia-free body. 

14. Can Maintain Digestion Process

The high fiber content in sesame seeds can aid you in maintaining your digestion process efficiently. These fibers will act as a natural gut cleaner and promote regularity. The digestion process can be smooth by its frequent intake, making it one of the sesame seed benefits.

Sesame seeds can help your digestive system to operate smoothly. This will eventually help to combat constipation and other diseases like diarrhea or dysentery. This food is essential if you seek to improve your overall gut health. 

15. Can Lower Cholesterol

Sesame seeds are packed with useful nutrients that can lower your cholesterol level. These tiny seeds feature plant compounds called lignans and phytosterols that may help in reducing LDL "bad" cholesterol.

Compounds like these phytosterols aid your body to block the production of cholesterol. This results in a safer environment for your heart and blood pressure as well.

It should be noted that black sesame seeds offer better benefits in reducing cholesterol levels than other types.

16. Can Control Blood Sugar Levels

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Sesame seeds contain large amounts of protein and healthy fats while having low carbs simultaneously. This is one of the major elements of blood sugar control.

Fibers and proteins can help to decrease the absorption rate of sugar in your body, and this can lead to the fight against diabetes as well.

These seeds also feature useful compounds like pinoresinol, which may inhibit enzymes that break down carbs. This ultimately leads to potentially lowering blood sugar levels. 

17. Can Boost Immune System

Consuming sesame seeds can be a source of immunity boost for your body. It is packed with helpful nutrients like zinc, copper, vitamin B6, and selenium that all aid in improving the immune system.

Vitamin B6 aids in antibody production, while zinc helps in the formation of white blood cells (crucial for fighting harmful germs). Similarly, antioxidants also help to combat cellular damage.

The nutrients in these seeds contribute a robust natural defense mechanism, and including them in your diet is important. 

18. Can Promote Thyroid Health

The thyroid gland is essential for the regulation of your body's metabolism and energy levels. Sesame seeds can be your ally to promote the thyroid gland and improve its overall health. 

Containing helpful minerals like selenium, zinc, and copper, and vitamins like B6, sesame seeds are a great natural source for a healthy thyroid gland.

Selenium is highly concentrated in the thyroid gland, and sesame also contains this mineral. This helps the thyroid hormone to work smoothly. Zin, copper, and vitamin B6 also aids in running the thyroid hormone.

19. Can Help Prevent Respiratory Conditions

Another benefit of sesame seeds is that they can help in prevention of respiratory conditions from occurrence. They have antioxidants that may aid in damaging the lung tissues by fighting free radicals. 

Likewise, Sesame seed also features anti-inflammatory properties that can contribute by soothing airways and easing discomfort. This will eventually help in the airway spasm. 

Sesame can also aid in preventing severe respiratory situations like asthma. Hence, you should include these seeds in your meal plan.

20. Can Help In Menopause By Hormone Balance

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Menopausal women will witness falling estrogen levels and this can bring lots of problems like mood swings and hot flashes. Sesame seeds can balance the falling estrogen hormone with a plant compound named phytoestrogens.

These phytoestrogens can help menopausal women to reduce their hot flashes, mood swings, and other situations. Women during this phase should take sesame seeds for hormonal balance.

Likewise, sesame seeds can also help menopausal women by preventing serious conditions like breast cancer. 

21. Sesame Seeds Are Rich In Nutrition

Sesame seed nutritional info features high amounts of fiber, protein, healthy fats, and minerals. Zinc, copper, selenium, and vitamin B6 are quite prevalent.

Per USDA FoodData Central, sesame seeds have a plethora of useful nutrients that make it a great nutritious food. Let us look at the sesame seed nutrition info per 100 grams:

  • Protein - 17.7 grams
  • Sugar - 0.3 grams
  • Calcium - 975 mg
  • Magnesium - 351 mg
  • Iron - 14.6 mg
  • Potassium - 468 mg
  • Copper - 4.08 mg
  • Selenium - 34.4 µg
  • Vitamin B6 - 0.76 mg
  • Manganese - 2.46 mg
  • Zinc - 7.75 mg
  • Fiber - 11.8 grams