by Case Adams, Naturopath
Research from Thailand’s Mahidol University has found that black sesame seed can significantly reduce blood pressure among men and women.
The research tested 30 men and women with an average age of 50 years old. They were considered ‘pre-hypertensive’ as their blood pressure levels were high but not yet high enough to be prescribed medication.
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The patients’ blood pressures were taken before and after the four week study. During the four weeks, the patients did not take any medications or dietary supplements.
The volunteers were divided into two groups. One group was given six placebo capsules per day, and the other group was given six capsules of 420 milligrams of black sesame seed meal. Each person in the sesame seed group was given a total of 2,520 milligrams (2.5 grams) per day.
The research found the sesame seed meal significantly decreased the blood pressure among the treated group. Their average systolic blood pressure after the four weeks was 121 mmHg, while the average blood pressure of the placebo group was 129 mmHg.
The sesame seed group also showed decreased levels of malondialdehyde and increases in their blood vitamin E levels.
Malondialdehyde is an indicator of the amount of lipid peroxidation taking place within the bloodstream. As other research has shown, lipid peroxidation is linked to the blood vessel damage seen in atherosclerosis. This is a relationship of free radical oxidation. When low-density lipoproteins are oxidized, they can damage blood vessels because they effectively steal electrons from blood vessel wall cells.
Conversely, higher vitamin E levels are typically linked with lower lipid peroxidation because vitamin E is an antioxidant.
Black sesame contains tocopherols and antioxidants