Although pumpkin seeds are tiny, they include a wealth of beneficial minerals. It's possible to get a lot of good fats, magnesium, and zinc from just a few of them. Therefore, many positive health effects have been attributed to pumpkin seeds.
Some malignancies are prevented from developing, cardiovascular health is enhanced, and the prostate is healthy. And you may easily include these seeds in your diet.
Pepita is the Mexican Spanish word for pumpkin seed. Most pumpkin seeds you get in the store won't have a shell like the firm white seeds you see in a carving pumpkin. These green, round, shell-free seeds are flat. Pumpkin seeds, without their bodies, have around 151 calories, mostly from fat and protein. Numerous additional minerals and plant chemicals in pumpkin seeds and seed oil have been linked to positive health effects.
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of antioxidants, including vitamin E and carotenoids. Use antioxidant supplements to lessen inflammation and shield cells from free radical damage. For this reason, diets high in antioxidant-rich foods are often recommended for disease prevention.
Studies have shown that eating pumpkin seeds can benefit your health, and researchers believe this is due in part to the high concentration of antioxidants in pumpkin seeds. In one study, rats with arthritis were treated with pumpkin seed oil, which decreased inflammation without causing any adverse effects, in contrast to animals treated with an anti-inflammatory medicine.
Evidence suggests that a lower risk of developing gastric, breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancer is connected with a diet high in pumpkin seeds. In a large observational study, they were linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
The lignans in pumpkin seeds have been linked in other research to potential benefits in treating and preventing breast cancer. Additional laboratory research indicated that a supplement containing pumpkin seeds might inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) occurs when the prostate gland grows too big and makes urinating difficult. Pumpkin seeds may help alleviate BPH symptoms. Multiple human investigations revealed that consumption of these seeds alleviated BPH-related symptoms.
More than 1,400 men with BPH were studied for an entire year, and those who ate pumpkin seeds had a decrease in symptoms and an increase in their quality of life. More investigation is needed; however, preliminary findings indicate that overactive bladder symptoms can be alleviated by supplementing with pumpkin seeds or products from them.
Magnesium is a mineral commonly missing in many people's diets in the Western world, and pumpkin seeds are one of the most significant natural sources of magnesium. About 79% of people in the United States do not consume enough magnesium (16). The human body requires magnesium for around 600 different chemical processes. Magnesium deficiency can result in the inability to:
Many nutrients, including antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, and fatty acids, may be found in pumpkin seeds and may contribute to a healthy cardiovascular system. Both high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and animal studies have indicated that pumpkin seed oil may help lower both.
Supplementing with pumpkin seed oil for 12 weeks decreased diastolic blood pressure by 7 percent. It boosted good HDL cholesterol levels by 17 percent in a trial involving 36 postmenopausal women.
In animal experiments, several forms of pumpkin, including the fruit, the seeds, the powder made from the sources, and the juice, have been proven to lower blood sugar. People with diabetes, who may have trouble maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, can benefit significantly from this.
Several investigations reported that the blood sugar levels of persons with type 2 diabetes were lowered by supplementation with pumpkin juice or seed powder. The beneficial impact of pumpkin seeds on diabetes may be due to the high magnesium content of pumpkin seeds.
For example, a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of shelled pumpkin seeds has 1.1 grams of fiber, making them an excellent source of this essential nutrient (30). Fiber-rich diets are beneficial to digestive health.
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