What Are the Benefits of Hemp Seeds?

Hemp seeds are sold as a health food, and most claims about them run ahead of the evidence. This page separates what the seed contains, which is well measured, from what studies in people have shown, which is much less.

What hemp seeds are

Hemp seeds are the seeds of Cannabis sativa varieties grown for low THC content, known as industrial hemp. Seeds with the hull removed are sold as hulled hemp seeds or hemp hearts.

The seed is not where the plant’s cannabinoids are made. In its December 2018 statement, FDA says the seeds do not naturally contain THC, and that hemp seed ingredients carry only trace THC and CBD picked up during harvesting and processing. FDA adds that eating them cannot make consumers high.

On December 20, 2018, FDA answered three GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”) notices from Fresh Hemp Foods, Ltd.:

FDA said it had “no questions” about the company’s conclusion that these ingredients are safe for their intended food uses. That is narrower than an approval. The GRN 765 letter states it is not an affirmation of GRAS status, and it covers the seed as food, not CBD or THC added to food.

What 30 g of hemp seeds contains

A 30 g serving (3 tablespoons) of hulled hemp seeds has 166 calories, 9.5 g of protein and 14.6 g of fat, according to USDA FoodData Central. The percentages below use FDA’s Daily Values for adults.

The protein figure is a simple share of the 50 g Daily Value, not adjusted for protein quality. FDA counts 20% of the Daily Value or more per serving as high and 5% or less as low. By that rule, hulled hemp seeds are high in magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, zinc and thiamin, and low in fiber and calcium.

These numbers are for hulled seeds. USDA has no SR Legacy record for whole, unhulled hemp seeds. A 2020 review in the journal Nutrients, Farinon and colleagues, reports that whole hempseed typically contains 25-35% fat, 20-25% protein and 20-30% carbohydrate, most of it insoluble fiber located in the hull. The full table is on hemp hearts nutrition.

What the research shows

The composition is solid; the health outcomes are not. Farinon and colleagues conclude that most studies so far were done in animals, that only a few involved humans, and that the human trials used hemp seed oil as a supplement, not the seeds.

What the review does report:

• Fatty acids. Linoleic acid makes up more than half of the fat. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio falls between about 3:1 and 5:1 across studies. The USDA figures above work out to about 3.2:1 linoleic acid to ALA for hulled seeds (27.5 g to 8.68 g per 100 g).
• Protein. The main proteins are edestin and albumin. Removing the hull raised measured protein digestibility from 85.2% to 94.9% in one study. Lysine was a limiting amino acid.
• Antinutrients. Hempseed contains phytate and trypsin inhibitors, which the review names as possible causes of lower protein digestibility.

The human trials it lists are few and mixed:

None of these tested eating hemp seeds, and none measured disease outcomes. On present evidence, hemp seeds are a nutritious food. They are not a treatment for anything.

One point on omega-3: the 2.6 g of ALA in a serving is above the adult adequate intake of 1.6 g a day for men and 1.1 g for women listed by the Linus Pauling Institute. ALA is not the same as the EPA and DHA in fish. The institute cites studies in which young men converted about 8% of ALA to EPA and 0-4% to DHA.

How to eat hemp seeds

Hulled hemp seeds are soft enough to eat as they are. Sprinkle them on oatmeal, yogurt, salads or soup, or blend them into smoothies and sauces. One tablespoon is about 10 g and adds roughly 3 g of protein.

For measured ideas, see hemp seed recipes. To compare them with chia, flax and other seeds, use the seed nutrition comparison tool.

How to store hemp seeds

Keep hemp seeds sealed, cold and away from air, because their fat can turn rancid. No university or agency guidance specific to hemp hearts was found for this page. For shelled nuts and seeds in general, Washington State University Extension advises airtight containers, and says they keep for several months in the refrigerator but no longer than 1-2 months at room temperature.

Follow the date and storage note on the pack, and discard seeds that smell or taste off.

Cautions

Three points are worth knowing before you add hemp seeds to your diet.

• Allergy. Reactions are documented. A 2003 case report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology describes anaphylaxis after eating hempseed. FDA’s GRN 765 letter also notes documented allergic reactions to hemp seed ingredients.
• Drug tests. A 2001 study in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology gave 15 adults daily THC doses of 0.09 to 0.6 mg in hemp oil for 10 days each. The highest metabolite level confirmed in urine was 5.2 ng/mL, below the 15 ng/mL federal confirmation cutoff. The authors equated 0.6 mg to 300 g of hulled seeds at 2 micrograms of THC per gram. One sample did screen positive at that dose, and the abstract notes earlier studies in which hemp foods caused positives. The study is old and small, and trace THC varies by product: the GRN 765 specification allows up to 4 mg/kg in hulled seed. If you are tested for work, sport or the military, ask your program before eating hemp foods.
• Calories. Hemp seeds are 49% fat by weight. Three tablespoons add 166 calories, so count them like nuts.

For how hemp differs from marijuana in law, see hemp vs marijuana. Nothing on this page is medical advice.