Is Sesame Oil Healthier Than Olive Oil?

Neither sesame oil nor olive oil is categorically healthier than the other. Each brings a distinct set of bioactive compounds, fatty acids, and clinical evidence to the table, and the honest answer depends on what aspect of health you care about most. Olive oil, particularly extra-virgin, has deeper evidence behind its cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory benefits, while sesame oil has shown surprisingly strong results for blood sugar control and lipid improvement that are often overlooked. The real story is in the details of what each oil does well and where each falls short.

What Is Actually in Each Oil

The health claims around any cooking oil ultimately trace back to its chemical makeup, and sesame oil and olive oil have genuinely different profiles. Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat (oleic acid makes up roughly 70–80% of its fatty acids) and carries a distinctive group of polyphenols. These polyphenols act as antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory effects tied to their ability to scavenge free radicals and chelate metals.¹ The star compound is oleocanthal, which gives high-quality olive oil that peppery throat sting and has pharmacological activity resembling ibuprofen.²

Sesame oil’s signature compounds are lignans, mainly sesamin, sesamol, and sesamolin, along with tocopherols (vitamin E forms) and phytosterols.³ These lignans have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of their own, and the demand for lignan-rich sesame has been growing as researchers keep finding new pharmacological effects.⁴ Sesame oil also contains a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fat (linoleic acid, an omega-6) alongside its monounsaturated fat, while still being about 85% unsaturated overall.⁵

So you are not comparing two versions of the same thing. These are chemically different oils with different protective compounds. That distinction matters for every health outcome discussed below.

Heart Health and Cholesterol

Olive oil’s cardiovascular reputation is well earned, though the mechanism is more nuanced than “lowers bad cholesterol.” In randomized trials, extra-virgin olive oil intake tends to raise HDL cholesterol (the protective kind). One crossover trial found that both low-polyphenol and high-polyphenol olive oils increased HDL, though there was also a small bump in LDL with the high-polyphenol version.⁶ A separate trial in people with high cholesterol found that higher-phenolic olive oil improved total cholesterol more favorably and significantly raised HDL.⁷ The picture is consistent: olive oil can modestly improve your lipid panel, with polyphenol content playing a role in the degree of benefit.

Sesame, however, is not the pushover it sometimes seems. A meta-analysis of randomized trials found that sesame intake significantly lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body weight, BMI, and waist circumference compared to controls.⁸ A more recent systematic review with dose-response analysis confirmed that sesame supplementation reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides, improved HDL at doses of 10 grams per day or less, and lowered inflammatory markers like CRP.⁹ The blood-pressure-lowering effect is particularly noteworthy because olive oil trials rarely show that benefit as clearly.

The lignan sesamin appears to be driving much of sesame’s cardiovascular effect. Research has mapped out how sesamin acts through multiple pathways involved in blood pressure regulation, clot prevention, and fat metabolism.¹⁰ That breadth of action is why sesame supplementation affects so many different cardiovascular risk factors at once.

The Head-to-Head Trial

There is at least one clinical trial that directly compared the two oils in the same study. Forty-eight patients with high cholesterol were randomized to consume about 60 grams per day of either refined olive oil or sesame oil for one month. Both oils improved lipid profiles, but sesame oil performed slightly better at lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.¹¹ This was a small trial with a short duration, so it is not the last word, but it does challenge the assumption that olive oil is automatically superior for cholesterol management. The fact that refined (not extra-virgin) olive oil was used likely removed some of its polyphenol advantage.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

This is where olive oil, specifically extra-virgin, has a genuine edge. Oleocanthal, the compound responsible for that back-of-the-throat burn, inhibits the same cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) that ibuprofen targets. Lab studies have shown that at equivalent concentrations, oleocanthal actually inhibits more COX activity than ibuprofen does: roughly 41–57% inhibition for oleocanthal versus 13–18% for ibuprofen at the same dose.¹² That comparison comes from lab assays, not from drinking olive oil and taking a pill, but it does illustrate how pharmacologically active this compound is.¹³

Sesame oil’s anti-inflammatory action works through different pathways, mainly via sesamin’s effects on inflammatory signaling networks. This is promising but less directly characterized than oleocanthal’s well-studied mechanism. If you are specifically interested in daily anti-inflammatory support through your cooking oil, extra-virgin olive oil has stronger clinical backing for that purpose. But keep in mind that you would need to consume it unheated or lightly heated to preserve oleocanthal content, since aggressive cooking degrades polyphenols.

Blood Sugar and Metabolic Health

Sesame oil pulls ahead of olive oil in one area that deserves more attention: glycemic control. In a trial of people with type 2 diabetes, those who consumed white sesame seed oil for 90 days had significantly lower fasting blood glucose and HbA1c (a marker of long-term blood sugar control) compared to a control group.¹⁴ Another trial tested sesame oil alongside the diabetes medication glibenclamide and found that the combination worked better than either alone, producing a 36% reduction in glucose and a 43% reduction in HbA1c.¹⁵

More recently, a randomized controlled trial in women with metabolic-dysfunction-associated liver disease found that sesame oil supplementation significantly lowered fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance scores compared to a control oil.¹⁶ The effect sizes were moderate to large, suggesting this is not a marginal benefit. Olive oil has general metabolic benefits from its monounsaturated fat content, but you will not find a comparable body of trials specifically showing glucose-lowering effects from olive oil consumption the way you do for sesame.

Liver Health

Sesame oil has a small but interesting set of findings related to fatty liver disease. In a double-blind trial, women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease who received sesame oil alongside a low-calorie diet saw their fatty liver grade decrease at a substantially higher rate than the control group (about 90% vs. 58% improvement). They also had significant decreases in the liver enzymes ALT and AST, which are markers of liver damage.¹⁷ This is a single study in a specific population, so it is far from settled science, but it adds to the picture of sesame oil as a metabolically active oil rather than just a neutral fat.

Cooking Stability and Heat

A practical question that often gets overlooked in health comparisons is how well each oil holds up when you actually cook with it. Sesame oil has a reputation for being surprisingly heat-stable despite containing a fair amount of polyunsaturated fat. Research on frying stability found that blending other vegetable oils with sesame oil improved their resistance to oxidation during deep frying, suggesting that sesame’s lignans act as built-in antioxidant protection during cooking.¹⁸ This matches the broader observation that sesame oil, despite containing 85% unsaturated fatty acids, is one of the most stable vegetable oils against oxidation.⁵

Extra-virgin olive oil is also more heat-stable than commonly believed, largely because of those same polyphenols that give it anti-inflammatory properties. However, heating does degrade its volatile compounds and polyphenol content over time. At 200°C, for example, new oxidation byproducts form that are not present in the unheated oil.¹⁹ During prolonged frying, the buildup of polar compounds (oxidation products) is regulated in some countries, with a maximum of 25% allowed in frying fat in Spain.²⁰ Both oils are fine for most home-cooking temperatures, but if you are deep frying regularly, sesame oil’s natural oxidative stability is a practical advantage.

The Omega-6 Problem

One genuine nutritional weak spot of sesame oil is its omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Sesame oil clocks in at roughly 50:1 omega-6 to omega-3, while olive oil sits at about 9.5:1.⁵ Most nutritional guidance suggests keeping this ratio lower, ideally closer to 4:1 or less, because excess omega-6 relative to omega-3 is associated with increased inflammation. Neither oil is a good source of omega-3 fats, but olive oil’s ratio is far less skewed. If your overall diet is already heavy in omega-6 from processed foods and other cooking oils, adding sesame oil on top pushes that balance further in the wrong direction. This does not erase sesame’s other benefits, but it is a real consideration that its enthusiasts tend to gloss over.

Processing Changes Everything

The “sesame oil vs. olive oil” question is incomplete without asking which version of each oil you are using. For olive oil, this is well understood: extra-virgin preserves the most polyphenols, while refined olive oil loses much of its bioactive advantage. The same principle applies to sesame oil, but fewer people realize it. Refining sesame oil strips away phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and minerals at each stage of processing. The neutralizing step alone causes the largest drop in total phenolics and antioxidant capacity.²¹

Cold-pressed or unrefined sesame oil retains the most lignans and phenolics, much like extra-virgin olive oil retains the most polyphenols. If you are buying the cheapest refined sesame oil for health reasons, you are largely getting a neutral fat without the compounds that make sesame oil interesting. Toasted sesame oil, while delicious, has been heated during processing and has a different chemical profile than cold-pressed. The therapeutic benefits seen in clinical trials typically come from unrefined or minimally processed sesame oil.

Contaminant Concerns

One issue that rarely appears in cooking-oil health comparisons is contamination. A study testing various vegetable oils for potentially toxic elements found that refined sesame oil had the highest levels of nickel and lead among the oils tested.²² This was a regional study and results will vary by brand, country of origin, and processing method, so it is not a reason to avoid sesame oil entirely. But it is worth noting that refining processes, while stripping away beneficial compounds, do at least reduce some heavy metal content. If you are a regular sesame oil user, choosing reputable brands and checking for third-party testing is a sensible precaution.

Gut Microbiome Effects

Olive oil polyphenols appear to influence the gut microbiome in potentially beneficial ways. Studies have shown that consuming olive oil phenolic compounds can increase Bacteroidetes bacteria and reduce the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, a shift associated with protection against artery disease. Olive oil polyphenols also promote overall bacterial diversity in the gut, which is generally considered a marker of health.²³ The mechanisms involved include antimicrobial activity against harmful bacteria and the production of beneficial metabolites by gut microbes interacting with the polyphenols. This is a relatively new area of research, and equivalent microbiome studies for sesame oil are sparse, so olive oil has a lead here largely because researchers have studied it more.

Skin and Wound Healing

Both oils have been tested as topical treatments, a use that goes back centuries in traditional medicine. In an animal study comparing herbal oil ointments for wound healing, sesame oil outperformed olive oil. Wounds treated with sesame oil contracted more than those treated with olive oil, and by day 14, half the sesame-oil-treated wounds were completely healed with normal epidermal thickness and hair follicle regrowth.²⁴ Separately, ozonated sesame oil showed faster wound closure in the first week of treatment in mice, accompanied by increased markers of new blood vessel formation and cell growth.²⁵ These are animal studies and do not directly translate to human skin care, but they suggest that sesame oil has genuine biological activity beyond being a simple emollient.

Which Oil for Which Purpose

The practical takeaway is not to crown a winner but to use each oil where it has the strongest evidence and the best culinary fit. Extra-virgin olive oil has the deepest evidence base for anti-inflammatory effects and gut health, and it works beautifully as a finishing oil, in salad dressings, and for moderate-heat cooking where you want its flavor. Sesame oil has compelling evidence for blood sugar control, lipid improvement, and blood pressure reduction, and its natural stability makes it practical for stir-frying and higher-heat applications. If you are managing type 2 diabetes or metabolic risk factors, the sesame oil data is worth taking seriously. If your concern is chronic low-grade inflammation, extra-virgin olive oil is the better-studied choice.

Both oils lose their distinctive health benefits when heavily refined. If you are choosing between a refined version of either one, the gap between them narrows considerably because you are mostly comparing neutral fats at that point. The version of the oil matters as much as which oil it is. And neither oil solves the omega-3 problem on its own, so regardless of which you prefer, pairing it with sources of omega-3 fats keeps the overall fat balance in a healthier range.