Pumpkin is a vegetable belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. It's known for its orange flesh, rich in vitamins and minerals, and is often used in culinary preparations.
Varieties and Types
There are many varieties of pumpkins, some of which include Butternut, Hokkaido, and Delicata. Each variety has its unique characteristics in terms of flavor, texture, and culinary use.
Nutritional Value
Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. It also has a low-calorie content, making it an excellent choice for a balanced diet.
Culinary Uses
Pumpkin can be used in a variety of dishes, from soups to desserts. It's also a common ingredient in many autumn and winter dishes.
Traditional and Cultural Uses
Beyond its use in the kitchen, pumpkin is often associated with traditions and festivities. For instance, during Halloween, pumpkins are carved and used as lanterns.
Due to its high antioxidant and vitamin content, pumpkin can have various health benefits, including supporting vision, promoting skin health, and reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases.
Chemical composition
The fruit flesh is rich in carotenoids, tocopherols, polysaccharides, carbohydrates and minerals which endow pumpkin with medical functions including antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antitumor, antioxidant, immunomodulation, antibacterial, antihypercholesterolemia, intestinal antiparasitia, anti-inflammation and antalgic activities (1).
The seed contains fatty acids (≤64% linoleic acid), specific delta-7-sterols, tocopherols and micronutrients (2).
Potential health benefits
The oral administration of high doses of pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil reduced prostate weight in experimental animal models of prostate growth (3).
Pumpkin seed oil is considered a preventive agent for various pathologies, particularly prostate diseases. These properties are related to its high content of carotenoids and liposoluble vitamins. In this study the carotenoid (lutein and zeaxanthin), vitamin E (α- and γ-tocopherol) and fatty acid contents (4).
This study validates the hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effect of Cucurbita maxima seed extract and therefore this extract could be further explored for development as a new anti-diabetic agent (5).
Pumpkin seed studies
References_______________________________________________________________________
(1) Caili F, Huan S, Quanhong L A review on pharmacological activities and utilization technologies of pumpkin. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2006 Jun; 61(2):73-80.
(2) Strobl M, Patz B, Bracher F: Kürbissamen bei Störungen der Blasenfunktion. DAZ 2004;144:4010-4014.
(3) Vahlensieck W, Theurer C, Pfitzer E, Patz B, Banik N, Engelmann U. Effects of pumpkin seed in men with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in the one-year, randomized, placebo-controlled GRANU study. Urol Int. 2015;94(3):286-95. doi: 10.1159/000362903. Epub 2014 Sep 5.
Gossell-Williams M, Davis A, O'Connor N: Inhibition of testosterone-induced hyperplasia of the prostate of Sprague-Dawley rats by pumpkin seed oil. J Med Food 2006;9:284-286.
Kim SH, Jung KI, Koh JS, Min KO, Cho SY, Kim HW: Lower urinary tract symptoms in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients: orchestrated by chronic prostatic inflammation and prostatic calculi? Urol Int 2013;90:144-149.
(4) Procida G, Stancher B, Cateni F, Zacchigna M. Chemical composition and functional characterisation of commercial pumpkin seed oil. J Sci Food Agric. 2013 Mar 30;93(5):1035-41. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.5843. Epub 2012 Aug 30.
(5) Kushawaha DK, Yadav M, Chatterji S, Srivastava AK, Watal G. Evidence based study of antidiabetic potential of C. maxima seeds - In vivo. J Tradit Complement Med. 2017 Jan 17;7(4):466-470. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.12.001
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