Raw pumpkin seeds not only make a healthy snack, they provide many nutritious benefits. They are rich in vitamins B, C, D and K, proteins, essential fatty acids, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. Pumpkin seeds promote protection prostrate and bone health. They help lower cholesterol, give relief to an overactive bladder and have anti-inflammatory properties.
Prostate Health
Eating raw pumpkin seeds can prevent benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH, from developing. Men ages 50 and over are prone to developing BPH, an enlarged prostate. BPH symptoms closely mimic prostate cancer, although it is non-benign and triggered by excessive testosterone. This hormone is first released at puberty and throughout adulthood in the male and increases the size of the prostate. If the prostate becomes too large, it can press on the urethra and interrupt urine flow. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, pumpkin seed oil may prevent the enlargement of the prostate. Elements contained in pumpkin seed oil may disrupt prostate cell multiplication generated by testosterone release. Further research is needed to ascertain whether both pumpkin seed oil extract and raw pumpkin seeds act as a BPH preventative.
Bone Health
Minerals naturally deplete as you age and your bones become more porous and lose density. Women approaching menopause can acquire conditions such as osteoporosis and become susceptible to bone fractures in the spine and hip. Arthritis, inflammation and pain and stiffness in joints can also occur when bone health is compromised. Supplementing your diet with minerals found in food sources can help prevent such conditions. Calcium plays a crucial role in maintaining bone strength and density, but additional minerals such as phosphorous, magnesium and zinc -- all found in pumpkin seeds -- are just as important. Vitamin K, according to a Natural News article, can help keep your bones healthy, because it's responsible for the activation of osteocalcin, a protein found in bones hindering the development of osteoporosis. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory properties contained in pumpkin seeds work to alleviate symptoms related to arthritis and joint pain.
Relieves Overactive Bladder
Raw pumpkin seeds relieve symptoms associated with an overacting bladder, also known as incontinence. An overactive bladder is characterized by the frequent and uncontrollable urge to urinate. Although the cause for this condition has yet to be established, urinary tract infections and inflammation of surrounding tissues, poor kidney function, diabetes, bladder dysfunction, certain medications and excessive caffeine or alcohol consumption may act as contributing factors, according to Mayo Clinic. Raw pumpkin seeds are useful in relieving incontinence due to the magnesium they contain. According to the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, researchers have noted an improvement in women suffering from incontinence after they were prescribed magnesium supplements for muscular calf spasms. The article suggested that the relaxing effect of magnesium on the calf muscles might have carried over to the muscular walls of the bladder, reducing bladder contraction, which in turn eliminated the uncontrolled urge to urinate.
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