Sesame Benefits Postmenopausal Women

TAIPEI, Taiwan--Ingestion of sesame may lower oxidative stress and serum blood lipids and improve sex hormone status of postmenopausal women, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition (136, 5:1270-5, 2006).

In the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, researchers from National Taiwan Normal University and other organizations in Taipei administered 50 g/d sesame seed powder or a 50 g/d rice powder placebo to 26 women (24 of which completed the trial), for five weeks, followed by a three-week washout period; the groups were then administered the opposite treatment for five weeks. The women were monitored for changes in sex hormones, serum lipids and markers of oxidative stress. Treatment with sesame lowered plasma total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), ratio of LDL to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and markers of oxidative stress, and significantly increased the ratio of alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol to TC, whereas the placebo treatment did not produce these effects. Further, sesame treatment increased serum sex hormone-binding globulin and urinary 2-hydroxyestrone by 15 percent and 72 percent; these concentrations tended to from those after the placebo treatment.

The researchers concluded sesame ingestion benefits postmenopausal women by improving blood lipids, antioxidant status, and possibly sex hormone status.