Issue 154 Item 5 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.