The Seed That Staves Off Heart Disease
Can something the size of a pinhead help your heart? Sure, if it's a simple sesame seed.
Eating the teeny seeds could help keep your ticker in top form by bringing down cholesterol and boosting blood levels of heart-cell-protective antioxidants.
Out with the Bad, In with the Good
In a study, postmenopausal women who took 50 grams (a little more than 3 tablespoons) of sesame seed powder daily for 5 days reduced their total and bad (LDL) cholesterol. But that's not all. The women also had lower blood levels of substances linked to lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress (both of which cause cell damage) and higher levels of heart-protective vitamin E.
Impress your friends by buying some tahini paste (made from sesame seeds) from a health-food store and making some hummus. Watch this video on how to do it.
Recipe Corner
Or try these quick and tasty recipes made with sesame seeds or sesame oil:
- Asian Salad
- Elise's Sesame Noodles
- Chickpea Burgers and Tahini Sauce
- Chicken Tagine with Pomegranates
Use the RealAge Recipe Finder to find other healthful sesame-infused culinary delights.
RealAge Benefit:
Lowering your bad (LDL) cholesterol can make your RealAge 3.3 years younger if you are a man and 0.6 years younger if you are a woman.
Sesame ingestion affects sex hormones, antioxidant status, and blood lipids in postmenopausal women. Wu, W. H. et al., Journal of Nutrition 2006 May;136(5):1270-1275.
