What do you know about the properties of sesame oil?

The properties of sesame oil are very effective and useful for many diseases and their prevention. Sesame oil is a natural oil that is obtained from pressing whole olives. Olive processing techniques result in the production of olive oils of different grades, both refined and unrefined. Unrefined oils are pure, which means that no heat or chemicals have been used in their extraction process, and it is an oil with a stronger flavor. But refined oils usually have a lighter color and a milder taste. In this article, we will review the general properties of olive oil.

Nutritional information and nutritional value of sesame oil

Sesame oil is a good source of vitamins E and K and contains small amounts of potassium. The following nutritional information is provided by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) for one tablespoon of sesame oil:

• Calories: 119
• Fat: 14 g
• Sodium: 0.3 mg
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams
• Fiber: 0 g
• Sugar: 0 g
• Protein: 0 g
• Vitamin E: 1.9 mg
• Vitamin K: 8.1 micrograms

One tablespoon of olive oil contains 9.86 grams of monounsaturated fat (about 73 percent), 1.42 grams of polyunsaturated fat (about 11 percent), and 1.86 grams of saturated fat (about 14 percent). Although most of the fats in this oil are of the good kind, it is still recommended to control its consumption, because the calories of this oil are high. By the way, this information is related to extra virgin sesame oil. The properties of extra virgin sesame oil are more than other olive oils.

Health Benefits of Sesame Oil

These days, many magazines, websites, and books write about the benefits of sesame and its oil and encourage people to use it. In the following, we are going to see what reliable scientific research says about the properties of sesame oil. Keep in mind, as we said at the beginning, unrefined sesame oil has more properties and benefits compared to other olive oils, and this oil has been used in most scientific researches:

Reducing heart disease

Natural sesame oil has very high monounsaturated fatty acids. As a result, blood cholesterol levels are reduced, which leads to a reduction in heart problems. In addition, sesame oil reduces the risk of diabetes and atherosclerosis.