Sesame butter: dense in minerals, mixed on cholesterol

In 731 people with diabetes across 13 trials, sesame as seeds, oil, extracts or lignans, with no separate result for the paste, lowered LDL cholesterol by about 30 mg/dL and fasting glucose by about 28 mg/dL over 6 to 12 weeks. Outside diabetes the lipid answer is unclear, and the reason is specific. An earlier meta-analysis of 10 controlled trials, not all randomized and with results that disagreed sharply with each other, found triglycerides fell by 21 mg/dL (0.24 mmol/L) while total and LDL cholesterol showed no significant change. Two small crossover trials gave 0.88 oz (25 g) of sesame a day for 4 to 5 weeks, to 16 postmenopausal women and to 33 overweight adults, and blood lipids did not move in either. The composition is the firm part. Across eight USDA samples, 3.5 oz (100 g) of creamy sesame butter carries 62.4 g fat, 19.7 g protein, 357 mg magnesium and 7.0 mg iron.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g creamy sesame butter carries 62.4 g fat, 19.7 g protein and 8.4 g fiber, and the eight analyzed samples stayed within about 15 percent of each other on these three. — USDA Foundation Foods entry Sesame butter, creamy (FDC 2262073) (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Fat 62.4 g (57.19 to 66.01), protein 19.7 g (18.07 to 21.04), total dietary fiber 8.37 g (7.48 to 8.82) per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Calcium in creamy sesame butter ranged more than fourfold across eight USDA samples, from 59 to 254 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), and sodium from 0 to 214 mg. — USDA Foundation Foods entry Sesame butter, creamy (FDC 2262073) (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Calcium mean 115.8 mg, range 59.1 to 254.0, median 81.4 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g); sodium mean 63.6 mg, range 0 to 214, median 0 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Per 100 g creamy sesame butter carries 1.65 mg copper, 357 mg magnesium, 7.0 mg iron and 6.0 mg zinc, with selenium the least predictable at 13 to 101 micrograms. — USDA Foundation Foods entry Sesame butter, creamy (FDC 2262073) (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Copper 1.646 mg (1.46 to 1.83), magnesium 356.8 mg (318 to 390), iron 7.0 mg (5.05 to 8.14), zinc 6.04 mg (5.21 to 6.81), selenium 46.5 ug (13.0 to 101.4) per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover RCT in 16 postmenopausal women, 25 g a day of unground sesame for 4 weeks still raised serum n-6 fatty acids, urinary lignans and serum gamma-tocopherol, but changed no plasma lipids. — postmenopausal women eating food bars with 25 g unground sesame seed daily, 4 weeks per arm (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Serum n-6 fatty acids up (p<0.05), urinary lignans up (p<0.05), serum gamma-tocopherol up (p<0.0001), plasma lipids unchanged
• In a placebo-controlled crossover RCT in 33 overweight adults, 0.88 oz (25 g) of sesame a day for 5 weeks raised urinary mammalian lignans about 8-fold but did not change blood lipids or blood pressure. — overweight or obese men and women, 25 g/d sesame (about 50 mg/d lignan) vs iso-caloric placebo, 5 weeks each (n = 33) Evidence B source
  Urinary enterolactone and enterodiol about 8-fold higher (P<0.001), blood lipids, blood pressure, CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha and F2-isoprostanes unchanged

What cooking and storage change

• Roasting, the step before grinding seeds into butter, keeps all of the copper, iron, magnesium and zinc but costs about a fifth of the phosphorus and folate and 15 percent of the thiamin. — USDA retention factors for the group Nut and Seed Products, method NUTS,ROASTED Evidence E source
  Phosphorus 80 percent retained, folate 80 percent, thiamin 85 percent, riboflavin niacin and vitamin B6 95 percent, calcium iron magnesium potassium zinc and copper 100 percent

What it does to your health

• In 20 healthy young men, a single 1.8 oz (50 g) serving of tahini lowered diastolic blood pressure and pulse 4 hours later and raised blood triglycerides, in a trial with no control arm. — healthy men, mean age 28 y, mean BMI 25.8, 50 g tahini after a 12-h fast, measured at 4 h (n = 20) Evidence C source
  Diastolic blood pressure down (p = 0.010), pulse rate down (p = 0.002), flow-mediated dilatation up (p = 0.022), serum triglycerides up (p < 0.001)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In population studies that confirmed allergy by food challenge, sesame allergy affected under 1 percent of people. — 36 population-based studies, over 250,000 children and adults, 6 with food challenge tests (n = over 250,000) Evidence C source
  Challenge-confirmed prevalence below 1% for sesame
• A global meta-analysis found aflatoxin B1 in about 29 percent of sesame seed samples and judged the margin of exposure unacceptable for consumers in nearly all countries studied. — published surveys of aflatoxin in sesame seeds, 2005 to 2025 Evidence C source
  Pooled prevalence AFB1 28.93%, AFB2 18.09%, mean AFB1 concentration 28.302 ug/kg, MOE below 10,000 in nearly all countries

What people believe that the data does not support

• An earlier meta-analysis of 10 controlled trials found sesame lowered triglycerides by 21 mg/dL (0.24 mmol/L) but found no significant change in total or LDL cholesterol. — participants of 10 controlled trials of sesame consumption (n = 10 trials) Evidence A source
  TAG -0.24 mmol/l (95% CI -0.32 to -0.15), total cholesterol -12 mg/dL (95% CI -29 to 4.3, P=0.14, I2=96%; metric: -0.32 mmol/l, -0.75 to 0.11), LDL -5.8 mg/dL (95% CI -19 to 7.3; metric: -0.15 mmol/l, -0.50 to 0.19)
• In the US, sesame has been a labeled major allergen since January 1, 2023, so packaged sesame butter and foods made with it must declare sesame. — packaged foods and dietary supplements sold in the US Evidence E source
  Mandatory allergen declaration from 2023-01-01

Who this works differently for

• A meta-analysis of 13 trials in 731 people with diabetes found sesame products lowered LDL cholesterol by about 30 mg/dL and fasting glucose by about 28 mg/dL over 6 to 12 weeks. — patients with diabetes in 13 trials, intervention 6 to 12 weeks (n = 731) Evidence A source
  LDL-C WMD -29.72 mg/dL (95% CI -47.88 to -11.55), fasting glucose WMD -28.48 (95% CI -37.66 to -19.30), HbA1c WMD -0.98 (95% CI -1.95 to -0.02)
• In 307 supervised sesame challenges in Australian children, 9 percent ended in anaphylaxis, and the authors recommend tahini over whole seeds for testing. — children with sesame allergy at 4 Australian allergy centers, oral food challenges 2007 to 2021 (n = 307 challenges) Evidence C source
  104 of 307 (34%) reacted, 28 of 307 (9.12%) anaphylaxis
• In 49 children with suspected sesame allergy, a tahini skin prick wheal of 7.5 mm or more predicted a positive tahini challenge with 81 percent sensitivity and 86 percent specificity. — children with suspected sesame allergy who underwent open tahini-based oral food challenge, single center (n = 49) Evidence C source
  21 of 49 (42.9%) challenge-positive, tahini SPT cutoff 7.5 mm sensitivity 81%, specificity 85.7%, sesame sIgE 2.60 kU/L sensitivity 66.7%, specificity 82.1%

What is still unknown

• Across 10 RCTs in type 2 diabetes, sesame lowered triglycerides by about 38 mg/dL and LDL by about 29 mg/dL but did not change body weight or BMI. — patients with type 2 diabetes in 10 RCTs (n = 10 RCTs) Evidence A source
  TG WMD -37.61 mg/dl, TC WMD -32.69 mg/dl, LDL-C WMD -28.72 mg/dl, no significant effect on HDL-C, body weight, BMI

The bottom line

Nobody eats 3.5 oz (100 g) of sesame butter at once, and the US dietary survey has no portion for it, so read those numbers as a density. Some of them barely change from jar to jar. Fat, protein and fiber stayed within about 15 percent across the eight samples. Others swing widely. Calcium ran from 59 to 254 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), sodium from 0 to 214 mg, and selenium from 13 to 101 micrograms, so check the label if any of these matters to you. Roasting the seeds, the usual step before grinding, keeps all of the copper, iron, magnesium and zinc and loses about a fifth of the phosphorus and folate, by a 1975 USDA factor written for roasted nuts and seeds as a group. The diabetes result is the strongest thing on this page, and it still rests on mixed products. A second meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials in type 2 diabetes found triglycerides down about 38 mg/dL and LDL down about 29 mg/dL, with no change in body weight or BMI, and it too pooled different forms of sesame. In the 33 overweight adults, urinary lignans rose about eightfold on sesame, so the compounds clearly get absorbed, yet blood pressure and blood lipids stayed where they were. One study fed 1.8 oz (50 g) of tahini to 20 healthy young men after a fast. Four hours later diastolic pressure and pulse had dropped and triglycerides had risen, in a trial with no control group and no reported size for any of these changes. The real caution is allergy. In the United States sesame has been a labeled major allergen since January 1, 2023, so packaged sesame butter must declare it. A 2008 review put challenge-confirmed sesame allergy below 1 percent of people, from only 6 studies that used food challenges. In children already allergic, 28 of 307 supervised sesame challenges at four Australian centers ended in anaphylaxis, and in a single-center study of 49 children a tahini skin prick wheal of 7.5 mm or more predicted a positive tahini challenge with 81 percent sensitivity. Contamination is the second concern. A global meta-analysis of sesame seed surveys found aflatoxin B1 in about 29 percent of samples and judged exposure unacceptable in nearly all countries studied, and it measured seeds only, never the paste. We found no study of sesame butter with medicines, in pregnancy or in kidney stones.

Sources

1. sbu-daily-r4-01 · food composition dataset
   Sesame butter, creamy Total lipid (fat) 62.4 G range 57.19–66.01 (median 62.73), samples 8, spread 14%
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, FDC 2262073 Sesame butter, creamy, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02
2. sbu-daily-r4-02 · food composition dataset
   Sesame butter, creamy Calcium, Ca 115.8 MG range 59.1–254.0 (median 81.43), samples 8, spread 168%
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, FDC 2262073 Sesame butter, creamy, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02
3. sbu-daily-r4-03 · food composition dataset
   Sesame butter, creamy Selenium, Se 46.48 UG range 13.0–101.4 (median 33.73), samples 8, spread 190%
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, FDC 2262073 Sesame butter, creamy, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02
4. sbu-daily-r4-05 · randomized crossover trial
   In a randomized crossover study, 16 postmenopausal women supplemented their diets with food bars containing either 25 g unground flaxseed, sesame seed, or their combination (12.5 g each) (flaxseed+sesame seed bar, FSB) for 4 wk each, separated by 4 wk washout periods. Total serum n-3 fatty acids increased with flaxseed (p<0.05) and FSB (p=0.064) while serum n-6 fatty acids increased with sesame seed (p<0.05). Urinary lignans increased similarly with all treatments (p<0.05). Plasma lipids and several antioxidant markers were unaffected by all treatments, except serum gamma-tocopherol (GT), which increased with both sesame seed (p<0.0001) and FSB (p<0.01).
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2009 · checked 2026-10-02
5. sbu-daily-r4-06 · randomized crossover trial
   Overweight or obese men and women (n=33) consumed 25g/d of sesame ( approximately 50mg/d of sesame lignan) and an iso-caloric placebo matched for macronutrient composition for 5 wks each. ... Urinary excretion of the mammalian lignans, enterolactone and enterodiol, increased by approximately 8-fold (P<0.001). Blood lipids and blood pressure were not altered.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2009 · checked 2026-10-02
6. sbu-daily-r4-04 · nutrient retention factor table
   phosphorus_mg 80% 20%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), Retn_Code 2203 · checked 2026-10-02
7. sbu-daily-r4-10 · non-randomized clinical trial
   Twenty healthy men with mean age of 28 y and mean BMI of 25.81 kg/m2 were included. After a 12-h fast, baseline blood was collected, participants consumed 50 g of tahini, and blood collection was repeated 4 h postprandially. ... A statistically significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.010) and pulse rate (p = 0.002) was observed 4 h after tahini consumption. Significant increases in serum triglycerides (p < 0.001) and flow-mediated dilatation were observed (p = 0.022) 4 h postprandially.
   J Hum Hypertens, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
8. sbu-daily-r4-11 · systematic review of observational studies
   Only 6 studies included food challenge tests with prevalences ranging from 0.1% to 4.3% each for fruits and tree nuts, 0.1% to 1.4% for vegetables, and < 1% each for wheat, soy, and sesame.
   J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2008 · checked 2026-10-02
9. sbu-daily-r4-14 · meta-analysis of surveys
   The pooled prevalence order was AFB1 (28.93%) > AFB2 (18.09%) > AFG2 (10.80%) > AFG1 (9.95%), while concentration order was AFG1 (32.290 µg/kg) > AFB1 (28.302 µg/kg) > AFB2 (3.183 µg/kg) > AFG2 (0.131 µg/kg). ... Monte Carlo simulation indicated consumers in nearly all studied countries face unacceptable health risk, with MOE values well below 10,000.
   Mycotoxin Res, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
10. sbu-daily-r4-09 · meta-analysis
    It was concluded that sesame consumption can significantly reduce blood TAG levels but there is insufficient evidence to support its hypocholesterolaemic effects.
    Br J Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-10-02
11. sbu-daily-r4-15 · regulatory position
    As of January 1, 2023, sesame must be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods and dietary supplements.
    US FDA, FASTER Act: Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen · checked 2026-10-02
12. sbu-daily-r4-07 · meta-analysis
    Thirteen studies, including 731 participants with intervention durations ranging from 6 to 12 weeks, were analyzed. Sesame supplementation significantly reduced fasting glucose (WMD = -28.48; 95 % CI: 37.66, -19.30; P < 0.001), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (WMD = -0.98; 95 % CI: 1.95, -0.02; P = 0.045), postprandial blood glucose (WMD = -15.90; 95 % CI: 21.59, -10.20; P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD = -29.72; 95 % CI: 47.88, -11.55; P = 0.001)
    Diabetes Metab Syndr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
13. sbu-daily-r4-12 · retrospective cohort
    Overall, 28 (9.12%) of 307 participants had anaphylaxis during sesame OFC. ... Whole sesame seeds may not be a suitable form of sesame for OFC, and tahini is recommended.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
14. sbu-daily-r4-13 · retrospective cohort
    Of the 49 children included in the study, 21 (42.9%) had a positive tahini-based OFC result. A tahini SPT demonstrated higher predictive performance for OFC positivity compared with sesame sIgE. An optimal cutoff value of 7.5 mm for a tahini SPT result yielded a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 85.7%.
    Allergy Asthma Proc, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
15. sbu-daily-r4-08 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Our meta-analysis suggested a significant association between sesame supplementation and reduction in TG (weighted mean difference (WMD): -37.61 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -61.48, 13.73), TC (WMD: -32.69 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -47.26, 18.12), and LDL-C (WMD: -28.72 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -44.68, 12.76). However, our meta-analysis indicated that the supplementary intake of sesame had no significant effect on HDL-C, BW, and BMI in patients with T2DM.
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02