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Tahini: Health Benefits and Nutritional Information

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 Tahini is a seed butter made from sesame seeds that are hulled, ground, and toasted. It is commonly used in North African, Greek, Iranian, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

It is a major ingredient in hummus and baba ghanoush (a dip similar to hummus, made with eggplant rather than chickpeas).

This MNT Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles on the health benefits of popular foods. It provides a nutritional breakdown of tahini and an in-depth look at its possible health benefits, how to incorporate more tahini into your diet and any potential health risks of consuming tahini.


Nutritional breakdown of tahini

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a 2-tablespoon serving of tahini from roasted sesame seeds contains 178 calories, 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates (3 grams of fiber and 0 grams of sugar) and 5 grams of protein.
dish of tahini
Tahini is made from sesame seeds, with a little bit of oil mixed in to make it the right consistency.

That same 2 tablespoon serving provides 30% of your daily thiamin needs, 24% of magnesium, 22% of phosphorus, 14% of iron, and 12% of calcium.

Do not be alarmed by the amount of fat in tahini - only 2 out of the 16 grams are saturated, the rest are mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, known to be beneficial to the heart and overall health.

A 1 oz. serving of sesame seeds contains three times more iron than 1 oz. of beef liver, which is commonly known as a high-iron food.3 Sesame seeds also contain more phytosterols than all other nuts and seeds, which are important for their cholesterol-lowering and anticancerous effects.1

Sesame seeds provide many nutrients, but it is difficult for the body to absorb them due to their hard outer layer (hull). Consuming sesame seeds in the paste form of tahini allows the body to better absorb the nutrients they provide.
Possible benefits of consuming tahini
Heart health

Sesame seeds contain the unique lignans sesamin and sesamol, which have been shown to lower cholesterol. Nutrition Research published a study in which subjects consumed 1.5 ounces of tahini a day. After 4 weeks, the subjects' average total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol decreased by 6.4% and 9.5%, respectively. Subjects were then asked to return to their normal diets without tahini. Four weeks later their cholesterol levels returned to their original level.1

As discussed in the nutritional breakdown, tahini is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Studies have shown that consuming these types of fats can lower harmful cholesterol levels as well as lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.5

The calcium and magnesium in tahini also work to decrease blood pressure naturally.6
Cancer

Lignans, chemical compounds found in certain plants, have a similar structure to estrogen. The sesamin and sesamol lignans in tahini are able to bind to estrogen receptors, which can protect against hormone-related cancers.1
Arthritis

In a study published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, patients with knee osteoarthritis were given either glucosamine plus Tylenol twice a day (a standard treatment for osteoarthritis) or 40 grams per day of powdered sesame seeds (comparable to 2 tablespoons of tahini).

The group consuming sesame scored better on measures to test the inhibitions associated with knee osteoarthritis, reported less pain, and did not experience the adverse side effects associated with Tylenol.4
Bone health

The high magnesium content in tahini is beneficial for maintaining healthy bones. Adequate magnesium intakes are associated with a greater bone density and have been effective in decreasing the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.7