Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent investigations have proposed that sesame and canola oils might affect body fat distribution. The present study aimed to examine the effects of sesame, canola and sesame-canola (a blend of sesame and canola oils) oils on body weight and composition in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the context of a randomized, triple-blind, three-way, cross-over clinical trial. RESULTS: Eligible participants were randomized to replace their regular dietary oil with sesame oil (SO), canola oil (CO) and sesame-canola oil (SCO) (with 40 SO and 60 CO). Treatment periods lasted 9 weeks and were separated by 4-week wash-out periods. Body weight and composition were measured at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of each intervention phase. In total, 93 participants completed the study. After adjustment for confounders, within-period changes were observed following SO and CO intake for body weight (0.34 ± 0.16 kg and 0.33 ± 0.17 kg) and visceral fat (0.13 ± 0.06 and 0.13 ± 0.05, P < 0.05), respectively. Body mass index was increased within SO intake (0.13 ± 0.05 kg m�2, P = 0.031). All of the treatment oils resulted in reduced waist circumference and index of central obesity (P < 0.05). A significant difference in change values was observed for visceral fat between SCO (�0.14 ± 0.07) and SO (0.12 ± 0.08) treatment periods in females (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Sesame and canola oils might lead to a modest favorable body fat redistribution by reducing central adiposity, particularly in females; however, the changes were of little clinical importance. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.