Pls advise. Search function on this website not functioning properly; I tried looking for info on this but ended up with nothing that actually related to seseame oil. Thanks! alexy

Although sesame oil is roughly 50% omega-6, it contains properties that inhibit the delta-5-desaturase enzyme that produces arachidonic acid, the substrate for inflammatory eicosanoids. Thus it has been considered a favorable fat (as has tahini). Note that this is not the position on sesame seeds (which contain far less of the oil), which should be used in moderation.

Great! So I can use it without worrying about it! Many thanks Sandra

Hi Scott, [quote:bf837cbef4="Scott"]Although sesame oil is roughly 50% omega-6, it contains properties that inhibit the delta-5-desaturase enzyme that produces arachidonic acid, the substrate for inflammatory eicosanoids. Thus it has been considered a favorable fat (as has tahini). Note that this is not the position on sesame seeds (which contain far less of the oil), which should be used in moderation.[/quote:bf837cbef4] It seems that the component that plays an inhibitory role on D5D is a lignan, a non-fat, that is present presumably more in the seeds than in the oil*. Moreover, the seeds are far more stable than the oil. Shoudn't, therefore, be the seeds to be preferred to the oil? *) Umeda-Sawada R, Fujiwara Y, Abe H, Seyama Y. Effects of sesamin and capsaicin on the mRNA expressions of delta6 and delta5 desaturases in rat primary cultured hepatocytes. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2003 Dec;49(6):442-6.

Toasted sesame oil makes a great condiment, but it isn't ideal to cook with. A few drops on top of a salad or a stir-fry are good, but it has too low a "smoke point", which means it will burn quickly, which means whatever good fatty acids in it have broken down into bad ones. Here is a handy resource: [url]http://www.care2.com/channels/solut...;/url]

[quote:dc21150d18="Gent"] It seems that the component that plays an inhibitory role on D5D is a lignan, a non-fat, that is present presumably more in the seeds than in the oil*. Moreover, the seeds are far more stable than the oil. Shoudn't, therefore, be the seeds to be preferred to the oil? [/quote:dc21150d18] Although a non-fat, it appears to be tied up in the oil itself, requiring acetone and fractionation to extract. J. Lee and E.C. Lee, Department of Food and Nutrition, Inha University, Younghyundong Namgu, South Korea [i:dc21150d18]Extraction and separation of lignans in roasted sesame seed oil[/i:dc21150d18]

Here's a link: [url]http://ift.confex.com/ift/2004/tech...;/url]

Thanks for posting the link, Adam.

Hi Scott, [quote:f255fe24da="Scott"]Although sesame oil is roughly 50% omega-6, it contains properties that inhibit the delta-5-desaturase enzyme that produces arachidonic acid, the substrate for inflammatory eicosanoids. Thus it has been considered a favorable fat (as has tahini). Note that this is not the position on sesame seeds (which contain far less of the oil), which should be used in moderation.[/quote:f255fe24da] [quote:f255fe24da="Gent"] It seems that the component that plays an inhibitory role on D5D is a lignan, a non-fat, that is present presumably more in the seeds than in the oil*. Moreover, the seeds are far more stable than the oil. Shoudn't, therefore, be the seeds to be preferred to the oil? [/quote:f255fe24da] [quote:f255fe24da="Scott"] Although a non-fat, it appears to be tied up in the oil itself, requiring acetone and fractionation to extract. [/quote:f255fe24da] I am just pointing to the fact that sesame seeds should contain (prsumably more, but this is my speculation) also such lignans*). Why do you think they are to be consumed in moderation, while sesame oil not so? Is it a question of their bioavailability? I quote: * [i:f255fe24da]These results demonstrate that (+)-sesamin and related lignan compounds present in sesame seeds or its oil are specific inhibitors of delta 5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in both microorganisms and animals. [/i:f255fe24da] *Lipids. 1991 Jul;26(7):512-6. Sesamin is a potent and specific inhibitor of delta 5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis. Shimizu S, Akimoto K, Shinmen Y, Kawashima H, Sugano M, Yamada H.

Hi Adam, [quote:1d780307a1="adam_h"]Toasted sesame oil makes a great condiment, but it isn't ideal to cook with. A few drops on top of a salad or a stir-fry are good, but it has too low a "smoke point", which means it will burn quickly, which means whatever good fatty acids in it have broken down into bad ones. Here is a handy resource: [url]http://www.care2.com/channels/solut...307a1] precisely so, indeed, it is a particularly unstable oil. Sesame seeds, on the contrary, are better preserved and supply the same active principles. The heat of toasting would perhaps not destroy the sesamin and related lignan compounds, thus preserving the inhibiting properties of D5D, but would surely increase the amount of peroxides in their oil.

[quote:b94da3209d="Gent"] I am just pointing to the fact that sesame seeds should contain (prsumably more, but this is my speculation) also such lignans*). Why do you think they are to be consumed in moderation, while sesame oil not so? Is it a question of their bioavailability? [/quote:b94da3209d] I agree that seeds as well as oil will contain such lignans (i've have seen the abstract of your cite)--bioavailability may be one factor why oil is favorable and seeds are not, but I also wonder how many seeds does one need to consume to achieve the same amount of sesamol or sesamin in a tsp of oil--ie, would the oil be a more concentrated source? I will see if I can dig up Sears comments on this as I posted a question to him a few years ago regarding this same topic.

[quote:be23f0e6ba="Scott"] I agree that seeds as well as oil will contain such lignans (i've have seen the abstract of your cite)--bioavailability may be one factor why oil is favorable and seeds are not, but I also wonder how many seeds does one need to consume to achieve the same amount of sesamol or sesamin in a tsp of oil--ie, would the oil be a more concentrated source? I will see if I can dig up Sears comments on this as I posted a question to him a few years ago regarding this same topic.[/quote:be23f0e6ba] Concentration and bioavailability seem also to me to be the issue. Quantities of 0.1-0.4% in sesamin appear to be effective in some studies where diets containing 20% of sesame seeds in powder were used*. In the link posted by Adams the content in crude lignans in the oil were around 16%. I couldn't figure out how much of sesamin (70ppm) that contained, though. If it were to be interpreted as 0,0007%, then reaching an amount of 0,1% is hopeless. Even considering a diet with 20% of calories coming from sesame seeds is not that comforting. Although rich in Omega 6, the sesame oil appears to be more stable than I thought at first. Hope you find better clues as to how much sesamin is contained in the oil or the seeds of sesame. [url]http://ss.jircas.affrc.go.jp/engpag...;/url]