What are the Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds?
Over a billion pounds of pumpkins are grown and sold in the United States every year, many of them to feed our Halloween traditions. Carve away at your jack-o-lantern, but before you throw out his innards, try picking out the pumpkin seeds first. Baked in the oven for a few minutes, these seeds make a tasty snack that's good for you. Read on to find out the health benefits of pumpkin seeds. Does this Spark an idea?
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Magnesium
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Just half of a cup of pumpkin seeds contains 92% of the magnesium your body needs on a daily basis. Most Americans don't get enough magnesium in their usual diet, which is a problem, especially for children and teens. Magnesium helps your body absorb calcium, so it plays an important role in forming strong teeth and bones. It also stabilizes the body's heart rhythm and keeps muscles functioning properly.
Zinc
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Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, which protects your body against osteoporosis. A low intake of zinc has been linked to much higher rates of osteoporosis. Not only that, but zinc also helps maintain your immune system, is needed to heal injuries to your body, and is a big factor in growth and development during pregnancy, childhood and the teenage years. Zinc deficiency can cause hair loss, a slowing of growth in children, weight loss and loss of appetite.
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Phytosterols
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Pumpkin seeds also contain a good deal of phytosterols, which inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the human body. If you already have high cholesterol, eating pumpkin seeds can help you lower it. If you don't have high cholesterol but could be at risk for it, pumpkin seeds prevent the intake of more cholesterol than your body needs. In addition, phytosterols have been found effective in preventing many kinds of cancer in the body.
Kidney Health
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Pumpkin seeds prevent growth of the most common type of kidney stones, calcium oxalate stones. These form in your kidneys if your diet is too low in calcium because the body excretes greater amounts of oxalate crystals into your urine via the kidneys. This also puts stress on your bladder, which eating pumpkin seeds can help prevent.
Prostate Health
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The muscle relaxation and anti-inflammatory benefits of pumpkin seeds, which don't cause any of the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs, keep your bladder functioning normally. This can be especially important for anyone with an enlarged prostate because urination becomes difficult when you are suffering from that. In addition, pumpkin seeds promote prostate health in general and if taken regularly, can help prevent your prostate from becoming enlarged in the first place.
Depression Treatment
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Pumpkin seeds contain L-tryptophan, a naturally occurring depression treatment. The amino acids found in L-tryptophan are used to make serotonin, a drug commonly used to treat depression. However, such drugs can have strong side effects, especially if you have only a mild case of depression. L-tryptophan occurs in small amounts in food such as pumpkin seeds and has similar beneficial effects to serotonin without the negative side effects.
Parasite Treatment
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In many cultures throughout the world, pumpkin seeds are used as a natural treatment to parasites that invade the body, such as tapeworms. Studies have also found the seeds to be beneficial in cases of acute schistosomiasis, a type of parasite contracted from freshwater snails that causes fever, chills, headache, fatigue and intense gastrointestinal discomfort.
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