Sesame seeds come from a plant called sesame which is rich in antioxidants, carbohydrates, vitamins and various minerals. These constituents in sesame seeds are health beneficial and highly nutritious in many ways. So, this post is all facts you need to know about sesame seeds.

Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds

 1. Improves Digestion

• These seeds have great amount of dietary fibers. Fibers actually play the key role in healthy digestion and also helps to move the food through the digestive tract.
• It also stimulates peristaltic motion as food moves through the intestines and make them easy to process digestion.
• This type of benefit of these seeds can also improve conditions like diarrhea and constipation.
• It also reduces the chances of getting stomach cancer and gastrointestinal diseases..

2. Prevents Cancer

• There are enormous benefits of sesame seeds and there is no objection of the fact that it obviously reduces the risk of cancer.
• It contains anti-carcinogenic magnesium and some essential minerals which reduces the effects of free radicals.
• There are also certain antioxidants which destroys the cellular spreading of cancer cells in a body which has a minor effect of radicals.
• These seeds also show consecutive results in prevention of breast, lung, pancreatic, cervical and even prostate cancer.

 3. Reduction of Inflammation

• Sesame seeds is calcium rich and contains nearly 1 gram of calcium per 100 gram of serving which is a very rare property.
• It also contains high content of copper and potassium, copper is essential for strengthening bones, joints and even blood vessels.
• These contents helps in circulation of blood in each joint and also helps in oxidizing hemoglobin. This leads to prevention of arthritis.
• When circulation is maintained at certain level then, it is also beneficial in reducing inflammation by reliving pain in joints, teeth and bones.

4. Stress and Hypertension Reduction

• Oils of sesame seed has shown its property of reducing hypertension in various research studies.
• People prefer eating sesame seeds as a mouth freshener after eating their meal because it causes a sense of relief.
• This is due to presence of magnesium and vitamin B3 which reduces blood pressure and has essential minerals which helps us in reducing stress.

5. Stroke Prevention

• Fibers scraps out the LDL cholesterol from blood vessels and arteries which leads to prevention of strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.
• These minerals and fibers protect our heart and artillery against atherosclerosis which causes narrowing of vessels.
• And as mentioned earlier, it contains content of copper which helps in circulation of blood and oxidizing hemoglobin.

6. Controls Diabetes

• Content of magnesium improves the medication’s functionality to a person having diabetes.
• It also regulates the glucose levels and insulin levels in the body. Gilbenclamide is a medication procedure given to patients suffering from diabetes.
• It is proved that oils of sesame seeds can improve the effects of impact of medication.
• Moreover, it also checks the blood sugar levels of the body in control as it keeps improving blood flow and circulation.

7. Protects Oral Health

• Sesame seed oils have a great astringent effect on oral health.
• It contains enzymes which are mostly anti-bacterial and can replace the properties of Listerine on certain levels.
• It also reduces the presence of Streptococcus bacteria which mostly resides in our mouth. This can prevent oral problems like swelling of gums and even cavities.

 8. Strengthen Bones

• As we know that it contains high content of calcium and zinc. It has been proved that it increases the bone health of a body.
• It helps in reviving from bone fractures and bone injuries.
• These seeds also prevent weakening of bones and diseases like osteoporosis in which bones become hollow from inside.

9. Skin Protective

• Presence of zinc in sesame seeds increases the potential of prevention of hair loss and strengthens the thickness of hair.
• In addition, it is even skin protective and gives a boost for tissues to replace dead skin cells by new ones.
• It has remarkably shown results in reducing skin burns and premature signs of aging.

10. Increases Overall Immunity

• These seeds contain high amount of fibers and proteins which add a boost to increase in overall immunity of the body.
• In certain conditions, it also helps in producing white blood cells in our body.
• A boosted metabolism, healthy cellular growth and mobility are some some other benefits after consumption of these seeds.

11. Maintains Appetite

• Sesame Seeds contains certain phytochemicals which improve the fat burning abilities of body.
• Certain enzymes break downs the fatty acids present in our body and enhances to burn them causing an advantage for liver.
• These activities signal our brain to function in such a way that a limited amount of hormones are produced that makes us feel satisfied after meals.
• This leads to decrease in overall appetite and controls hunger so it is best for people following diet plans.

12. Improves Fertility

• Oils of Sesame seeds have certain capabilities to even show possible outcomes in increasing fertility of sperms.
• It also improves the sperm quality and overall sperm quantity which shows increase in sexual hormones and fertility of body.
• It also has positive effects on antioxidant activity and hormone regeneration possibility for post-menopausal women.

13. Prevents Memory Loss

• Antioxidants and essential minerals can be beneficial in many ways. But, it is highly beneficial for people having neurological problems.
• The presence of such essential minerals effect the fluid membrane of our skull and helps it in circulation more proficiently.
• Moreover, it also contains Vitamin B3 which helps in connection of such tissues. That helps neurons to transmit their signals more efficiently.
• These results have proven to help out people suffering from Senile dementia (Alzheimer’s disease).

Origin of Sesame Seeds:

This crop is one of the oldest seed crop known to mankind. The scientific name of this crop is Sesamum Indicum, which says that this wild species is from genus Sesamum. These are native from Northern states of Africa and now mostly cultivated in India.

The growth of this plant mainly depends upon its climatic conditions. It requires high heat, soil with 20% of moisture and it is mainly cultivated after the season of monsoon. It is also known as a survivor crop.

Nutritional Values of Sesame Seeds:

In a 100 gram amount of dried sesame seeds, it has energy of approximate value 550 to 570 calories. It is composed of 5% water, 24% carbohydrates, 10% of dietary fiber, 18% protein and many more. 12 grams of dietary fiber is present in 100 grams of sesame seeds. 24 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of protein, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9. Other than these, it also contains mineral like calcium, iron (14.6 mg), magnesium and potassium.

Chemical Composition of Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds (or more proficiently sesame seed oils) are composed of many fatty acids, enzymes and certain essential minerals. It contains 40% of linoleic acid, 35% of oleic acid, 10% of palmitic acid, 6 to 7% of stearic acid and many others in a smaller composition or little amounts. This concludes that it has more than 40% of polyunsaturated Omega-6 fatty acids and a lot of antioxidants. This can prove that even oil of sesame seeds can be used for cooking or frying like other vegetable cooking oil or olive oil.

So, intake of sesame seeds after a meal or dinner as a mouth freshener or a part of your daily diet plan can really boost your metabolism and can help you in many other nutritious ways for long term.