Sesame seeds are among the most ancient foods on the planet. In fact, the sesame plant is the oldest plant that is cultivated for its seeds and oil. Sesame has a high value in the culture of Eastern, Mediterranean and African lands and it has been used for thousands of years to flavor food, prepare oil and strengthen the health of the skin. Compared to other seeds, sesame has the highest amount of fat, and due to its wonderful taste, it is used in different ways, including flour, sesame oil, etc., all over the world. Stay with us, in this article we want to examine the properties of sesame.

Sesame is a flowering plant from the dicotyledonous category. Sesame seeds contain very valuable oil. These seeds contain 55% fat and 20% protein, and for this reason, they are considered a very rich source of essential fatty acids and some amino acids.

Sesame seeds contain 50-60% oil and two very useful antioxidants from the lignan family, sesamin and sesamulin. Sesame oil also has two other phenolic compounds called sesamol and sesaminol, which are formed in the refining process.

Sesame oil is rich in linoleic acid and oleic acid, most of which are gamma-tocopherol and other vitamin isomers. The amino acids in sesame are lysine, tryptophan and methionine.

Benefits of sesame:

1. Rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols

New studies conducted on phytonutrients in sesame seeds, especially fatty acids and antioxidants, show that sesame seeds and oil have phytoestrogenic properties and can reduce cholesterol to a great extent.Sesame seeds have the most cholesterol-lowering phytosterols of almost all nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains. Phytosterols are compounds that are structurally similar to cholesterol. They take the place of cholesterol in the digestive system and thus reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines. Some studies have shown that among 27 types of nuts and seeds, sesame seeds (along with wheat kernel flour) have the most phytosterols.

2. Protect heart health

Research has shown that lignans help improve the condition of fats and are effective in regulating cholesterol and blood pressure. Lignans lower blood serum and liver cholesterol levels and naturally reduce cholesterol, which is why researchers sometimes consider the chemicals in sesame seeds to be "hypocholesterolemic agents." It has been found that consuming 50 grams of sesame seeds powder for five weeks has positive effects on total cholesterol level, LDL cholesterol, LDL to HDL ratio and antioxidant status.

3. Improve blood pressure

Sesame oil is considered a strong antihypertensive because it can help regulate blood pressure. In 2006, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of consuming sesame oil and it was found that sesame is a natural and very useful food that can lower blood pressure. After tracking various symptoms in 32 patients with high blood pressure who were between the ages of 35 and 60 and who had used sesame oil as their only edible oil for 45 days, they found that sesame oil reduces blood pressure and lipid peroxidation. And increasing the antioxidant status has been effective in most of these patients.

4. Regulation of hormones

Research shows that sesame can have a positive effect on the production of sex hormones because it causes a better metabolism of fatty acids, especially in postmenopausal women. A study whose results were published in "The Journal of Nutrition" shows that sesame digestion has a positive effect on blood lipids and antioxidant status in adult women, which ultimately has a positive effect on sex hormones. Sesamin, which is one of the lignans of sesame, is converted into enterolactone by intestinal microflora, which is a phytoestrogenic compound with high estrogenic activity. In addition, sesamin leads to intestinal metabolic activity, which is similar to the same activity found in flaxseed lignans.

5. Fight against cancer

Sesame seeds, like flax seeds, are rich in mammalian lignans. Mammalian lignans, called enterolactone and enterodiol, are produced by microflora in the large intestine. New research has shown that these lignans have anticancer properties and can prevent colon cancer and breast cancer.