Turning sesame seeds into tahini helps your body absorb more of the healthy compounds in the seeds because grinding them breaks open the tough outer shell that normally traps those good things during digestion.

Turning sesame seeds into tahini paste helps your body absorb more of the healthy lignans because it breaks open the tough outer shell—something chewing alone might not do well enough.

Grinding sesame seeds into tahini breaks open the tough outer shell, allowing more of the healthy compounds (lignans) to be absorbed by your body compared to eating whole seeds.

For your body to get the good stuff from tahini, the tiny bacteria in your gut need to first break it down. So, the types of bacteria you have in your gut affect how much you benefit from eating tahini.

Tahini might only work well if your gut bacteria are healthy and the right kind — they help turn sesame nutrients into something your body can actually use.