What Vitamins Are In Pumpkin Seeds?

Pumpkin seeds are a delicious, convenient and healthy food that can be eaten as a snack or added to recipes to boost their nutritional value and to replace less healthy ingredients. Fresh pumpkin seeds have a slightly sweet flavor and can be stored in airtight containers for up to two months to ensure peak freshness.

Manganese

At 1.04 mg per quarter-cup serving, pumpkin seeds contain an impressive 52 percent of the daily value for manganese. This mineral is necessary for bone development and bone metabolism, according to the website OrganicFacts. Manganese also serves a role in forming connective tissues, the function of thyroid and sex hormones, regulation of blood sugar, and metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. Manganese is a component of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, an important defense system in nearly all living cells.

Iron

Pumpkin seeds provide 5.16 mg, or 28.7 percent, of the daily value for iron in a quarter cup, making them an excellent plant-based source for iron and a go-to food for the prevention of iron-deficiency anemia. This type of anemia affects 12 percent of females between the ages of 12 and 49 and 7 percent of children aged 1 to 2 years in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Magnesium

With 184 mg per quarter cup, pumpkin seeds provide 46.1 percent of the daily value for magnesium. This mineral is a relaxant for muscles and is used medically to treat irregular heart rhythm, reduce the severity of asthma attacks, relieve back pain and treat constipation. Magnesium is also involved in nerve function, bone metabolism and the production of collagen.

Tryptophan

Pumpkin seeds provide 34.4 percent of the daily value of tryptophan per quarter-cup serving. This important amino acid is a precursor from which the body produces serotonin. Tryptophan is an also essential amino acid that must be obtained from food sources. Pumpkin seeds, with their high tryptophan content, may be useful for restoring depleted serotonin levels in some individuals.

Essential Fatty Acids

The oil from 1 oz. of pumpkin seeds -- approximately 85 seeds -- contains 21.6 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 2452 mg of omega-6 fatty acids. A study published in the "World Journal of Urology" in 2002 found that pumpkin seed oil reduced lower urinary inflammation. Similarly, a study in a 2009 "Nutritional Research and Practice" found a reduction in benign prostatic hypertrophy of 47 patients over 12 months' time on 320 mg/day of pumpkin seed oil. Essential fatty acids degrade easily in high heat. To preserve their healthfulness, pumpkin seeds are best consumed raw.