Sesame Oil Improves Antihypertensive Effect of Nifedipine
Sesame oil has a significant antihypertensive and
antihyperlipidemic effect.
That, according to research from India presented
Monday at the XVth scientific meeting of the Inter-American
Society of Hypertension, co-sponsored by the American
Heart Association.
Dr. Devarajan Sankar and associates at Annamalai
University in Chidambaram, India, had study 328
patients with hypertension replace all oil in their
diets
with sesame oil for 60 days. The patients were
already being treated with nifedipine at doses
that ranged
from 10 mg to 30 mg a day.
Blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL
and total/HDL ratio), triglycerides, electrolytes,
lipid peroxidation and nonenzymic antioxidant
levels
were
measured at baseline and every 15 days until
the study's end. Average sesame oil intake
was 35 grams
per day.
Mean blood pressure was 166/101 at baseline.
It dropped to the normal range by the end of
the study
period
and clinicians were able to reduce the dosage
of nifedipine in many cases, Dr. Sankar reported.
There were no episodes of hypotension during
the
study
period.
Lipid profiles also improved significantly,
the investigators found.
Dr. Sankar noted that the study results indicate
that sesame oil has a synergistic effect
with nifedipine. "We
encourage hypertensive patients to use sesame oil
as the sole edible oil because of its antihypertensive
effect," he said. "We also encourage physicians
to advise their hypertensive patients to use sesame
oil for cooking and to educate them as to the beneficial
[effects] of sesame oil.
