Sesame oil benefits include helps in Rheumatoid Arthritis, fight of free radicals, good for hair, rich in unsaturated fats, improves oral health, helps with bowel movements, lowers blood pressure, helps to fight stress and depression, helps in preventing diabetes, slows down the aging of the skin, is a natural sunscreen, helps in improving eye health, and improves bone strength.
Sesame oil, also known as gingelly oil, isn’t just a condiment. It’s a do-it-all oil that can moisturize your skin, fight signs of aging, keep your locks healthy, and act as a base oil for almost all herbal oils. And, that’s just the beginning.
Sesame oil offers many other impressive health benefits including managing anxiety and stress, keeping your heart healthy, reducing blood pressure and more. The nutty, yellow-y oil is packed with good-for-you vitamins and minerals, not to mention flavor, making them a great addition to your daily diet. Here are 13+ outstanding reasons why you should be adding more Sesame oil to stir-fry dishes.
13+ Amazing Health Benefits of Sesame Oil
1. Helps in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Copper is essential for building red blood cells, making connective tissue and keeping nerves and blood vessels healthy. Copper is also an anti-inflammatory mineral. Therefore, it is said to have positive effects on relieving arthritic pain. A cup (144 g) of sesame seeds contains about 5.9 mg copper (294% of the daily value). Calcium, magnesium, and zinc present in sesame seeds also aid in strengthening bones, joints, and blood vessels.
Note: when compared to sesame seeds, sesame oil may contain fewer minerals due to the extraction process.
2. Fight of free radicals
The food we eat, the alcohol we consume, and the environment we live in generate free radicals. They, in turn, damage DNA, cells and proteins and may lead to various diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and cancer. Emerging pieces of evidence suggest that sesame oil is a powerhouse of antioxidants especially, sesamol.
The results of an animal study published in the Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology journal concluded that sesamol can reduce γ-radiation-induced DNA damage in mice lymphocytes.
So, it’s important that you should eat a diet containing sesame seeds and sesame oil.
3. Sesame oil is good for your hair
Sure, it requires a ‘little getting used to’, once you start incorporating sesame oil into your hair care routine, you will learn that it is a blessing. The highly nutritious and lubricating sesame oil is full of vitamins B and E, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous – all essential for nourishing your scalp and hair. Massaging the oil into roots and scalp to keep your locks shiny and full. It also effectively hydrates the dry scalp, prevent hair loss, and relieve from itchiness or dandruff.
Sesame oil can darken the hair and prevent premature graying as well. Use it regularly to keep your hair dark and healthy.
4. Rich in unsaturated fats
By now, you must be knowing that all fats aren’t created equal. Some are good, bad, or downright harmful for your body. Sesame oil is high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fats. According to nutrition data, per cup sesame seed contains 27 g monounsaturated fats, 31.4 g polyunsaturated fats, and about 10 g saturated fats.
Both mono and polyunsaturated fats are ‘heart healthy’ and help maintain cholesterol under control. On the other hand, saturated fat triggers inflammation and total cholesterol, which isn’t good for your heart.
5. Sesame oil pulling improves oral health
Our ancestors didn’t have Oral B or Colgate to brush their teeth, so they used oil pulling for removing plaque and maintaining oral health. Swishing a tablespoon of sesame oil for up to 15 minutes is an ancient Ayurvedic practice to reduce the growth of Streptococcus mutans in the mouth. This might be due to sesame oil’s antibacterial properties.
6. Helps with bowel movements
Constipation is a common problem, affecting all of us from time to time. If the underlying reason is simple, for instance, you fall off the water and fiber content, it can be treated using sesame oil. The oil extracted from the black sesame seed lubricates intestine and ease bowel movements. Don’t like drinking sesame oil? Pop a teaspoon of sesame seeds daily until you get relief.
However, if constipation persists for longer, consult a gastroenterologist – it could be due to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
7. Lowers blood pressure
There’s a reason why sesame oil was used in cooking since the ancient times. Sesame seeds help prevent hypertension thanks to the high magnesium content present in them. A study published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine found that sesame oil can lower blood pressure, decrease lipid peroxidation, and increase antioxidant levels in patients with high BP. The researchers also found a significant reduction in body weight and body mass index (BMI) in the subjects who were fed with edible sesame oil for 45 days.
Polyunsaturated fats and sesamin present in sesame oil also help maintain blood pressure levels.
8. Sesame oil can take high heat
Extra virgin olive and coconut oil make food taste good, but they burn at high heat and affect your health. Luckily, sesame oil has a high smoke point of 410˚ and neutral flavor (Smoke point is the temperature at which fat breaks down and release free radicals and unpleasant odors). That means sesame oil is great for sautés and roasts as it doesn’t smell up your kitchen and release toxic chemicals into the air.
9. Helps to fight stress and depression
Trying to cope with anxiety and stress? Include sesame oil as part of your diet. Tyrosine, in sesame oil, has direct links with serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a happy hormone, an imbalance of which will make you depressed and stressed.
Sesame also contains magnesium and calcium, the stress relieving minerals. Also, it has thiamin and tryptophan which are known for their role in the production of serotonin.
When you have enough serotonin in the circulation, you will feel more relaxed and stress remains at bay.
10. Helps in preventing diabetes
Owing to the presence of magnesium – 505 mg (126% of DV) per cup, sesame seeds, and sesame oil come handy in combating diabetes. Magnesium alongside other minerals and vitamins lowers blood glucose levels and thwarts the risk of diabetes. A pilot study conducted in hypersensitive diabetic patients indicated that edible sesame oil can lower BP, and plasma glucose levels.
According to another similar study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, sesame oil can enhance the effectiveness of glibenclamide, an oral antidiabetic drug in type 2 diabetic patients.
11. Slows down the aging of the skin
An exciting benefit sesame oil offers is that it can slow down the pace of skin aging. The antioxidants in the oil prevent cellular oxidation and promote skin rejuvenation. Sesamol in sesame oil prevents the appearances of lines, wrinkles, and pores.
A systematic review published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that consuming sesame seeds can increase skin elasticity and reduce oxidative stress, thereby reducing the onset of premature aging.
Also, the vitamins and the antibacterial phytochemicals in sesame oil can heal the cuts and wounds quite fast, avoiding the formation of ugly scars or marks.
12. Sesame oil is a natural sunscreen
If your sunscreen lotion isn’t living up to the claims, switch to natural sunscreens to safeguard your skin. Sesame oil can form a protective film over your skin to eliminate the damages done by UV rays, environmental stressors, and free radicals. If you would like to join the natural sunscreen bandwagon, then start applying sesame oil on your skin. It is rich in Vitamin E which imparts antioxidant properties.
In general, sesame oil doesn’t need a career oil but mixing it with a few drops of the carrot seed oil is effective in preventing spots and sun damage.
13. Helps in improving eye health
Sesame seed and oil offer both nutritive and preventative benefits to your eyes. Being a rich source of flavonoids, phenolic antioxidants, omega-6 fatty acids, dietary fiber, and vitamins, sesame oil can protect ocular cells from inflammation and vision impairments.
When applied topically, it will moisturize dry under eye areas thanks to the presence of emollient fatty acids including linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid.
According to traditional medicine, regularly massaging eyelids with sesame oil can reduce dark circles and crows’ feet.
14. Improves bone strength
Maintaining copper, calcium, and zinc levels through dietary sources is critical to bone growth. For improving the growth and development of bone, you should add sesame seeds and sesame oil into your diet because they contain more calcium than a glass of milk. Sesame oil is also found to speed up healing or regrowth of bones.
Moreover, as you get older, the minerals in sesame oil help prevent osteoporosis and age-related bone changes.
Word of Caution
Consuming sesame oil is safe but because it contains high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, we would recommend using it in moderation.
If you are allergic to sesame seeds, do not consume or use it topically as it may worsen your health.
If you are taking anticoagulants or blood thinners, you should consult your doctor before making sesame oil a part of your diet. Because it lowers your blood pressure and thins the blood.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers should take extreme caution when consuming sesame seeds or oil because it has hormone inducing properties.