Sesame oil: what the trials tested, and what they did not

Sesame oil arrives with a reputation for blood sugar and cholesterol, and the trials behind it deserve one careful reading before you buy a bottle for that reason. Four meta-analyses pooled between 10 and 16 randomised trials, and in 731 people with diabetes 6 to 12 weeks of sesame lowered fasting glucose by 28 mg/dl and HbA1c by 0.98 points, an interval that runs from 1.95 down to 0.02 and so stops just short of no effect at all. Read what was pooled. Those reviews put sesame oil, whole seed and sesamin, the lignan sold in capsules, into one pot, so the results belong to the mix rather than to the oil in your pan. An umbrella review that went over 206 meta-analyses of vegetable oils rated the evidence for sesame oil and blood sugar as very low certainty, and for body weight as moderate to very low. The data exists. The answer stays soft because the trials are short, small and mostly about products you would not cook with. Two things on this page are firm. Sesame oil is an allergen in its own right: five of six placebo-controlled oil challenges in sesame-allergic patients were positive, and 1 ml and 5 ml of oil caused anaphylactic shock. And a tablespoon of 14 g carries about 125 kcal, whatever else it does.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• Sesame oil is about 15% saturated, 38% monounsaturated and 43% polyunsaturated fat with only traces of trans fat, and one US tablespoon of 14 g carries about 125 kcal. — Oil, sesame in CoFID and USDA SR Legacy; Sesame oil in FNDDS (n = CoFID 2,886 foods, one sesame oil entry; USDA one entry; FNDDS three measures) Evidence E source
  CoFID 17-043 per 100 g: 898 kcal, fat 99.7 g, saturated 14.6 g, monounsaturated 37.5 g, polyunsaturated 43.4 g, trans trace. USDA 171016: fat 100 g, saturated 14.2 g, vitamin K 13.6 µg. FNDDS 2710190: 1 tablespoon 14 g, 1 cup 224 g

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover study of 10 healthy adults, a single muffin made with unrefined sesame oil carrying 94 mg sesamin cut urinary excretion of the gamma-tocopherol metabolite for 24 hours, so sesame lignans slow the body's breakdown of gamma-tocopherol. — 5 women and 5 men, healthy, randomised crossover with 4-week washout, deuterium-labelled tocopherols (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Urinary d2-gamma-CEHC decreased for 24 h in both sexes; plasma AUC decreased in men only (P < 0.05)
• In 40 healthy young women, 4 weeks on a diet using sesame oil raised lipid-adjusted serum gamma-tocopherol significantly, as corn oil did in the same trial, without changing alpha-tocopherol. — 40 healthy female students, mean age 26, Sweden, three oil groups for 4 weeks (n = 40) Evidence B source
  Serum gamma-tocopherol normalised to lipids increased in corn and sesame oil groups (P < 0.01); alpha-tocopherol unchanged

What it does to your health

• A 2022 meta-analysis of 16 randomised trials with 908 participants found that sesame intake lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, body weight, BMI and waist circumference compared with control (P < 0.05). The abstract gives no effect sizes, and sesame oil, whole seed and sesamin are pooled. — 908 adults in 16 randomised controlled trials of sesame and its derivatives (n = 908) Evidence A source
  TC, TG, SBP, DBP, body weight, BMI, hip and waist circumference decreased (P < 0.05), stable in sensitivity analysis, no publication bias

Safety, limits and interactions

• In 60 people with type 2 diabetes, about 35 g of sesame oil a day for cooking for 60 days together with 5 mg glibenclamide lowered glucose by 36% and HbA1c by 43%, more than either alone. Sesame oil can therefore add to the effect of a sulfonylurea. — 60 adults with mild to moderate type 2 diabetes, sesame oil 18, glibenclamide 20, combination 22 (n = 60) Evidence B source
  Combination: glucose -36% and HbA1c -43% vs baseline (P < 0.001), better than sesame oil alone (P < 0.01) and glibenclamide alone (P < 0.05)
• In placebo-controlled oral challenges of sesame-allergic patients, five of six challenges with sesame oil were positive, and doses of 1 and 5 ml of the oil caused anaphylactic shock. — Patients with IgE-mediated food allergy undergoing single- or double-blind placebo-controlled oral challenges, 12 positive sesame seed challenges and 6 sesame oil challenges (n = 6 oil challenges) Evidence C source
  5 of 6 sesame oil challenges positive; anaphylactic shock at 1 ml and 5 ml; respiratory symptoms in 42% of sesame challenges
• A review of the sesame allergy literature describes two forms of reaction, immediate IgE-mediated allergy to sesame proteins that can present as anaphylaxis, and delayed contact dermatitis to lignin-like compounds in sesame oil. — Published reports of sesame allergy, PubMed search without date limit, English language Evidence E source
  Immediate hypersensitivity via IgE to sesame proteins; delayed hypersensitivity to sesame oil compounds expressed as contact allergic dermatitis

What people believe that the data does not support

• An umbrella review of 206 meta-analyses on vegetable oils rated the evidence that sesame oil improves blood sugar control as very low certainty, and the evidence that it reduces body weight as moderate to very low. — 48 systematic reviews with 206 meta-analyses of vegetable oil consumption in adults, searched to July 2023 (n = 206 meta-analyses) Evidence A source
  Sesame oil and blood sugar control: very low certainty; sesame oil and body weight: moderate to very low certainty
• EU food law lists sesame seeds and products thereof as an allergen that must be declared, with no exemption for refined oil, whereas fully refined soybean oil is exempted in the same list. — Food business operators labelling prepacked food in the EU Evidence E source
  Annex II entry 11 sesame seeds and products thereof, no exemption; entry 6 soybeans exempts fully refined soybean oil and fat

Who this works differently for

• A 2025 GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 13 trials with 731 people with diabetes found that 6 to 12 weeks of sesame products lowered fasting glucose by 28 mg/dl, HbA1c by 0.98 points, LDL cholesterol by 30 mg/dl and triglycerides by 33 mg/dl. — 731 adults with diabetes in 13 randomised trials of sesame oil, seed or sesamin, 6 to 12 weeks (n = 731) Evidence A source
  Fasting glucose WMD -28.48 (95% CI -37.66 to -19.30), HbA1c -0.98 (-1.95 to -0.02), LDL-C -29.72 (-47.88 to -11.55), TC -32.76, TG -33.46 mg/dl
• In a 2024 meta-analysis of 10 randomised trials in type 2 diabetes, sesame supplementation lowered triglycerides by 38 mg/dl, total cholesterol by 33 mg/dl and LDL by 29 mg/dl, with no effect on HDL, body weight or BMI. — Patients with type 2 diabetes in 10 randomised controlled trials (n = 10 trials) Evidence A source
  TG WMD -37.61 mg/dl (95% CI -61.48 to -13.73), TC -32.69 (-47.26 to -18.12), LDL-C -28.72 (-44.68 to -12.76); HDL-C, weight and BMI unchanged
• In 60 women with fatty liver disease on a 500 kcal deficit diet, 30 g of sesame oil a day for 12 weeks lowered ALT, AST and fatty liver grade more than the same amount of sunflower oil. — 60 women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, 53 completed, hypocaloric diet in both arms (n = 60) Evidence B source
  ALT, AST and fatty liver grade reduced vs sunflower oil after adjustment (P < 0.05), ALP unchanged
• In the same 12-week trial of 60 women with fatty liver disease, 30 g of sesame oil a day lowered diastolic blood pressure and the total to HDL cholesterol ratio versus sunflower oil, while the lipid profile itself did not change in either group. — 60 women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, 53 completed, both arms on a 500 kcal deficit (n = 60) Evidence B source
  DBP (p = 0.031) and TC/HDL-C (p = 0.039) reduced vs sunflower oil; lipid profile unchanged in both groups (p > 0.05)
• In 15,022 Chinese adults followed for a median of 14 years, the highest sesame oil intake was not associated with type 2 diabetes (HR 1.02), unlike lard, peanut oil and refined blended oil, which were. — 15,022 adults aged 20 and over in the China Health and Nutrition Survey, 1014 incident cases (n = 15,022) Evidence C source
  Highest tertile vs non-consumers HR 1.02 (95% CI 0.79 to 1.32) for sesame oil; lard 1.31, peanut oil 1.36, refined blended oil 1.42

What is still unknown

• A 2026 meta-analysis of 10 trials with 441 participants found sesame supplementation lowered blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c and ALT, and that longer supplementation did not give larger effects. — 441 adults in 10 randomised controlled trials of sesame supplementation, searched to July 2025 (n = 441) Evidence A source
  SBP, DBP, fasting glucose, HbA1c and ALT reduced; no dose-duration gradient in subgroups
• A 2025 meta-analysis of 17 animal studies found sesamin, the main lignan of sesame oil, lowered cholesterol, triglycerides, ALT and glucose in rodent models of fatty liver, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is the mechanistic layer under the human trials. — Rodent models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, 17 articles (n = 17 studies) Evidence D source
  In NAFLD models TC (P = .010), TG (P = .003), ALT (P = .003) and glucose (P < .001) reduced, HDL increased (P = .012)

The bottom line

Use sesame oil for its taste. Unless you are allergic to sesame, that is the one use on this page with no argument against it. If you are using it for your blood sugar or your liver, here is what was actually tested. In 60 women with fatty liver disease who were already cutting 500 kcal a day, 30 g of sesame oil for 12 weeks brought ALT, AST and the fatty liver grade down further than the same amount of sunflower oil. Diastolic pressure and the total to HDL cholesterol ratio came down with them. The lipid profile itself did not move in either group. Thirty people in an arm is a start, and the umbrella review that went across vegetable oils rated the evidence for sesame oil and blood sugar as very low certainty, and it did not rate the liver evidence at all. The pooled trials also disagree about weight: a 2022 pool of 16 trials found body weight, BMI and waist circumference lower, while a 2024 pool of 10 trials in people with type 2 diabetes found weight and BMI unchanged. A 2026 meta-analysis of 10 trials in 441 people adds a detail worth keeping: taking sesame for longer did not give a larger effect. In 15,022 Chinese adults followed for 14 years, the heaviest sesame oil users were no more likely to develop diabetes than people who never used it (hazard ratio 1.02), while lard, peanut oil and refined blended oil each carried a higher risk. That is an observation about who gets ill, and it cannot tell you the oil protected anyone. The bottle itself is about 15 percent saturated, 38 percent monounsaturated and 43 percent polyunsaturated fat, with traces of trans fat and about 1.9 µg of vitamin K in a 14 g tablespoon, 13.6 µg per 100 g. Two groups need to read this differently. If you have type 2 diabetes and take glibenclamide or another sulfonylurea, one trial concerns you directly. Over 60 days in 60 people, about 35 g of sesame oil a day for cooking on top of 5 mg glibenclamide brought glucose down 36 percent and HbA1c down 43 percent, more than the drug alone. The arms held 18 to 22 people each, so hold the size of that number loosely and the direction firmly. An oil that adds to a glucose-lowering drug is something the person who prescribes the drug should hear about before you change how much you cook with. If you are allergic to sesame, the oil is the seed for your purposes. EU labelling law lists sesame and products thereof with no exemption for refined oil, where fully refined soybean oil is exempted in the same list. A review of the allergy literature also describes a second, slower reaction to compounds in the oil itself that shows up as contact dermatitis. One small thing the lignans in the oil do that the marketing never mentions. In 40 healthy young women, four weeks of eating with sesame oil raised gamma-tocopherol in the blood, as corn oil did in the same trial, while alpha-tocopherol stayed put, and in 10 adults a single muffin made with unrefined sesame oil slowed the breakdown of gamma-tocopherol for 24 hours. That is a real effect on one form of vitamin E, and none of our cards shows whether it matters for health. What we do not have. None of our 16 cards measured what happens to sesame oil when you fry with it, so smoke point, oxidation and what toasted oil keeps or loses are questions we cannot answer from evidence. There is nothing on pregnancy, children or older people, nothing on kidney disease, and nothing beyond 12 weeks. The animal work on sesamin, 17 rodent studies pooled in 2025, points the same way as the human trials, and it is still rodents.

Sources

1. seso-c3-16 · reference dataset
   CoFID 17-043 Oil, sesame — Energy 898 kcal · Fat 99.7 g · Satd FA 14.6 g · Mono FA 37.50 g · Poly FA 43.40 g · Trans Tr || USDA 171016 Oil, sesame, salad or cooking — fat 100 g · saturated 14.2 g · vitamin K 13.6 µg || FNDDS 2710190 Sesame oil — 1 tablespoon 14 g · 1 cup 224 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0; USDA SR Legacy FDC 171016; USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 fdc_id 2710190 · checked 2026-09-23
2. seso-c3-09 · RCT
   consumed muffins prepared with either corn oil or unrefined sesame oil (sesamin, 94 mg; sesamolin, 42 mg), along with a capsule containing a 1:1 molar ratio of deuterium-labeled d(6)-alpha- and d(2)-gamma-tocopherol acetates ( approximately 50 mg each)...However, in both sexes urinary d(2)-gamma-CEHCs were decreased for 24 h following sesame oil muffin consumption. CONCLUSIONS: In humans, gamma-tocopherol metabolism can be inhibited by the simultaneous consumption of gamma-tocopherol and sesame lignans.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2008 · checked 2026-09-23
3. seso-c3-10 · RCT
   Forty healthy female students (mean age 26 y) were randomly assigned to one of three groups and consumed a diet that contained one of the three oils for 4 wk...The gamma-tocopherol concentrations normalized to serum lipids increased significantly in the corn and sesame oil groups (P < 0.01)...The alpha-tocopherol concentrations did not change during the diet period in any of the three groups.
   J Nutr, 2001 · checked 2026-09-23
4. seso-c3-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Overall, 16 trials involving 908 participants were included for statistical pooling. Compared with the control group, sesame intake significantly decreased the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body weight, body mass index, hip circumference, and waist circumference (P < 0.05).
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-23
5. seso-c3-08 · RCT
   The patients were supplied with sesame oil [BNB Sesame oil(TM)] except glibenclamide group, and instructed to use approximately 35 g of oil/day/person for cooking, or salad preparation for 60 days...As compared with sesame oil and glibenclamide alone, combination therapy showed an improved anti-hyperglycemic effect with 36% reduction of glucose (P < 0.001 vs before treatment, P < 0.01 vs sesame oil monotherapy, P < 0.05 vs glibenclamide monotherapy) and 43% reduction of HbA(1c)
   Clin Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-09-23
6. seso-c3-13 · controlled challenge study
   Five out six OC with sesame oil were positive: 1 and 5 mL induced an anaphylactic shock. CONCLUSION: The risk of asthma and anaphylactic shock to sesame and peanut is confirmed.
   Clin Exp Allergy, 2003 · checked 2026-09-23
7. seso-c3-14 · review
   (1) immediate hypersensitivity, often expressed as systemic anaphylaxis, associated with positive skin prick test and/or IgE antibody test results to sesame proteins with some cross-reactivity with other foods, and (2) delayed hypersensitivity to lignin-like compounds in sesame oil clinically expressed as contact allergic dermatitis.
   Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol, 2005 · checked 2026-09-23
8. seso-c3-05 · umbrella review
   Very low certainty evidence showed the consumption of olive oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil could improve blood sugar control...Moderate to very low certainty evidence suggested that canola oil and sesame oil consumption reduced body weight.
   Adv Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
9. seso-c3-15 · regulation
   Sesame seeds and products thereof...Soybeans and products thereof, except: (a) fully refined soybean oil and fat
   Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Annex II, consolidated text · checked 2026-09-23
10. seso-c3-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    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), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD = -32.76; 95 % CI: 52.69, -12.84; P = 0.001), triglycerides (TG) (WMD = -33.46; 95 % CI: 51.55, -15.37; P < 0.001)
    Diabetes Metab Syndr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-23
11. seso-c3-02 · 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 2026-09-23
12. seso-c3-06 · RCT
    Subjects were randomly assigned to the SO group (n = 30) and sunflower oil (SFO) group (n = 30), each person consuming 30 grams of oil per day for 12 weeks. All the participants received a hypocaloric diet (-500 kcal/day) during the study...After adjusting for confounders, ALT, AST, and fatty liver grade of the SO group were significantly reduced compared to the SFO group (P < 0.05).
    Int J Clin Pract, 2022 · checked 2026-09-23
13. seso-c3-07 · RCT
    There was no significant change in lipid profile in both groups (p > 0.05). After adjusting for confounders, DBP (p = 0.031) and total cholesterol (TC) divided by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p = 0.039) in the SO group were significantly reduced compared to the SFO group (p < 0.05).
    Trials, 2022 · checked 2026-09-23
14. seso-c3-12 · prospective cohort
    Overall 15,022 Chinese adults aged ≥20 y from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) without self-reported T2D at entry in the 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, or 2009 rounds were followed up until 2011...Compared with nonconsumers, multivariable-adjusted HRs and 95% CIs for the highest tertiles were 1.31 (1.03, 1.67) for lard, 1.36 (1.10, 1.66) for peanut oil, 1.14 (0.91, 1.43) for soybean oil, 1.11 (0.87, 1.43) for canola oil, 1.02 (0.79, 1.32) for sesame oil, and 1.42 (1.12, 1.82) for refined blended plant oil.
    J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-23
15. seso-c3-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    A total of 10 studies involving 441 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Sesame supplementation significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Improvements were also observed in glycemic control, with reductions in fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels...Subgroup analyses revealed that the effects did not increase with longer durations of sesame supplementation.
    Int J Med Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
16. seso-c3-11 · meta-analysis of animal studies
    The meta-analysis included 17 articles on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. DATA ANALYSIS: Overall, the pooled results demonstrated that Ses significantly reduced levels of total serum cholesterol (P = .010), total serum triglycerides (P = .003), alanine transaminase (P = .003), and blood glucose (P < .001), and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P = .012) in animal models of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
    Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-09-23