Health benefits
Pumpkin seed oil is an all-around anti-aging superpower. The healing power of pumpkins and pumpkin seeds was discovered centuries ago from Central America, particularly Mexico. The flesh has been commonly used for the treatment of skin irritations, ulcers and tumours. However, the real power is in the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are amazing little bites of nutrition and disease prevention. Loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, they are among the world’s most beneficial superfoods. These seeds are an excellent source of many important nutrients for our bodies.
For thousands of years, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil have been used as a natural remedy for irritation of the bladder and kidneys as well as for prostate irregularities. Pumpkin seeds have made the news headlines in recent years for their preventative power in relation to prostate conditions and prostate health. Cold pressed oils, which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins, play an important role in the preservation of our health. Thanks to its high content of vitamins, pumpkin seed oil has long been considered an ingredient appropriate for illness prevention, especially for prostate diseases. In addition to that well-known use, research has proved its effectiveness as a treatment for diabetes, anxiety and even cancer.
The World Health Organization recommends consuming pumpkin seeds as a useful way to obtain zinc, which is found in large quantities in the small seeds and maintained through the oil production process. Pumpkin seed oil can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. It has joined the ranks of olive and coconut oil at promoting longevity. Not only is it a great source of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, it’s also been shown to lower blood pressure and increase HDL or good cholesterol. The essential fatty acids also work with the HDL to lower cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Pumpkin seed oil is a powerhouse of nutrition. This oil is especially rich in proteins (amino acids). Local oils sold in Hungary are high in protein and carbohydrates, which goes to show that cold pressed oils are the richest and most varied in terms of nutrition. Pumpkin seed oil contains many kinds of carotenoids, like beta-carotene and lutein. Beta carotene is a form of Vitamin A. Carotenoids are good for the skin and are also anti-cancer. They are responsible for the deep yellow to reddish colour. Pumpkin seed oil contains Vitamin E. Pumpkin seed oil contains the highest amount of beta carotene out of all seed oils.
Here are the health benefits of pumpkin seed oil and the reasons to take it regularly:
1. Prostate Health and Improving Bladder Function
Pumpkin seeds have long been valued as an important natural food for men’s health. Perhaps the most well-documented aid of pumpkin seed oil for health is its vast effectiveness on maintaining a healthy prostate. This is in part because of their high zinc content, which is important for prostate health (where it is found in the highest concentrations in the body), and also because pumpkin seed extracts and oils may play a role in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, or enlarged prostate).
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition in which there is enlargement of the prostate, not caused by a cancer. So, it is benign. This enlargement of an organ leads to elevation of inflammation markers in the blood. For the person, BPH causes urinary urgency, hesitation and a confused state related to urination. This may also make the urinary system weak in front of an infection. Irregular urination disturbs sleep, which affects health when this continues for a long time. BPH symptoms can include: difficulty with starting to urinate, difficulty maintaining a constant flow of urine, dribbling at the end of urination, feeling you need to urinate frequently, increasing need to urinate during the night, urgency to urinate, not being able to empty your bladder completely, urinary tract infections, blood in your urine. BPH is a condition that affects many men around the world, particularly men over 50.
Pumpkin seed oil leads to improvement in the health and size of the prostate and relief from the symptoms of BPH. Long used as a folk medicine for prostate health, pumpkin seed oil reduces the size of an enlarged prostate. It effectively treats urinary disorders, specifically overactive bladder. More recently, Swiss researchers claim that this natural remedy decreases urinary incontinence by 80%. Pumpkin seed oil is a kind of kidney and urinary tonic. It reduces pressure on the bladder, promotes release of excess stored water in body through increased urine output. It may also prevent formation of kidney stones and reduce burning sensation while urination, which occurs either occasionally or because of a condition.
2. Reduces Inflammation
Pumpkin seed oil has been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. One study even found it worked as well as the anti-inflammatory drug in treating arthritis, but without the side effects. Replacing saturated fats with healthy, unsaturated fats makes a deep impact on the amount of inflammation in your body. Taking pumpkin seed oil in diet provides us with many antioxidants. It can have a prominent effect on arthritic pain in the joints. This effect is attributed to the antioxidants which prevent free radical damage in the body and also reduce inflammation.
3. Heart and Liver Health
Is it any surprise that an anti-inflammatory supplement would be great for the heart? It can protect you from heart disease and heart attacks.
Pumpkin seeds, rich in healthy fats, antioxidants and fibres, may provide benefits for heart and liver health. One-quarter cup of pumpkin seeds contains half of the recommended daily amount of magnesium, which participates in a wide range of vitally important physiological functions: the pumping of your heart, proper bone and tooth formation, relaxation of your blood vessels. Magnesium has been shown to benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke.
Pumpkin seed oil has LDL cholesterol lowering effect by improving the proportion of HDL cholesterol in the total cholesterol profile. HDL cholesterol is actually good for the body when it is within the safe limits and is used for many very important activities and chemical reactions inside the body. This oil also has a triglyceride lowering effect which is deemed as good for the cardiovascular health. Pumpkin seed oil exerts a protective effect on the heart and the aorta (largest artery in the body).
4. Immune Support
Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of zinc (one ounce contains more than 2 mg of this beneficial mineral). Zinc is important to your body in many ways, including immunity, cell growth and division, sleep, mood, your senses of taste and smell, eye and skin health, insulin regulation, and male sexual function. Many are deficient in zinc due to mineral-depleted soils, drug effects, plant-based diets, and other diets high in grain. This deficiency is associated with increased colds and flu, chronic fatigue, depression, acne, low birth weight babies, learning problems and poor school performance in children, among others.
5. Anti-Diabetic Effects
Pumpkin seed oil helps balance blood sugar. Animal studies suggest that pumpkin seeds may help improve insulin regulation and help prevent diabetic complications by decreasing oxidative stress. Diabetes has many causes, one of which is poor diet. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are manageable, and even treatable, with good diet strategies and supplements. Pumpkin seed oil is scientifically proven to be a considerable natural diabetes treatment.
6. Benefits for Postmenopausal Women
Pumpkin seed oil reduces high blood pressure in postmenopausal women. A study of postmenopausal women found pumpkin seed oil substantially promoted healthy cholesterol levels. The effects of the pumpkin seeds went beyond this one improvement: in addition to balanced cholesterol levels, the women taking pumpkin seeds also enjoyed healthy blood pressure. They also experienced a decreased severity of hot flashes, fewer headaches and reduced joint discomfort.
7. Nutritional Aid for Cancer Patients
You read that right! While there is no “cure” for cancer, pumpkin seed oil has been proven in several studies to support the health of cancer patients and a reduced risk of cancer. Let’s be clear that pumpkin seeds are not a cure for cancer. However, it can’t be ignored that research into pumpkin seeds has described positive, nutritional effects for those with breast and prostate cancers.
8. Get rid of Intestinal Parasites
Pumpkin seed oil health benefits even include protecting you from parasitic worms. It has been traditionally used as a treatment for intestinal parasites and has the unusual ability to paralyze worms in the digestive tract. For this purpose a tablespoon is taken on an empty stomach, preferably first thing in the morning.
9. Eye Health
Alongside its beneficial fatty acids and other antioxidants, cold pressed pumpkin seed oil usually contains high levels zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthin is an antioxidant carotenoid that has been shown to protect our eye’s retina from both UV and blue light damage. Because of this, it may help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a very common problem for older people, and improve visual acuity in general.
10. Benefits to the Skin
Pumpkin seed oil is often praised as a “superhero ingredient” in skin care, too, due to the essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals contained within it. The use of pumpkin seed oil for skin and homeopathic beauty routines may serve to treat acne, fight free radical damage, moisturize and much more. Packed with essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more, the oil from pumpkin seeds helps soothe, hydrate, protect, regenerate, and renew skin. Pumpkin seed oil minerals and vitamins infuse the skin with important elements that bring rejuvenation and strengthen weakened skin. This is especially important for aging or damaged skin, which does not renew itself as effectively as young skin. The oil can be applied topically directly on the skin as well. Take a few drops of this oil and apply it on the skin. Let it absorb in the skin. This moisturizes the skin and makes it look hydrated. According to the newest resurches pumpkin seed oil even makes hair stronger and maintains scalp health.
11. Restful Sleep Encourages Mental Well-being
Pumpkin seed oil eases insomnia. We all need to consider the health of our brains and mental states. Pumpkin seed oil can help you do that in more than one: it improves memory, while it is an effective treatment for social anxiety disorder. Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of tryptophan, an amino acid (protein building block) that your body converts into serotonin, which in turn is converted into melatonin, the “sleep hormone.” Eating pumpkin seeds a few hours before bed, along with a carbohydrate like a small piece of fruit, may be especially beneficial for providing your body the tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production to help promote a restful night’s sleep.
Possible Pumpkin Seed Oil Side Effects
There has never been any indication that eating pumpkin seeds or pumpkin seed oil, even in higher doses, has any negative side effects. Neither does it produce any complications when taken in combination with other foods or medicine. However, as the antioxidant properties of this oil can serve to lower blood pressure, you should consult your health care provider before using this in conjunction with hypertension medication to discuss risks and potential complications. Pumpkin seed oil is not known to lead to contraindications or cause interactions with medicines. It can be safely applied to the skin directly undiluted. It is also safe to be taken via mouth. However, it should not be used as cooking oil because heat destroys the good nutrition that it provides. This renders the oil virtually useless, and more still harmful because of the effects of hydrogenated fat molecules that form with heat.
Links and articles for health benefits
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