Nutrition
The seeds are also good sources of protein, and the essential minerals iron (25 grams (about a US quarter-cup) can provide over 20 per cent of the recommended daily iron intake) as well as zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and potassium. The seeds also provide essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (including at least one -3 unsaturated fatty acid and at least one -6 unsaturated fatty acid).[citation needed]
Lightly roasted seeds provide better nutrition than dark ones, as excessive heat destroys some of their nutritive value.
in 2007, Stevenson & al. of the USDA’s New Crops Products Research Unit searched the primary literature for information about the lipid content of pepitas, and then grew and analyzed pepitas from seven cultivars of C. maxima. They found the following ranges of fatty acid content in C. maxima pepitas:
n:unsat
Fatty acid name
Percentage range
(14:0)
Myristic acid
0.003-0.056
(16:0)
Palmitic acid
1.6-8.0
(16:1)
Palmitoleic acid
0.02-0.10
(18:0)
Stearic acid
0.81-3.21
(18:1)
Oleic acid
3.4-19.4
(18:2)
Linoleic acid
5.1-20.4
(18:3)
Linolenic acid
0.06-0.22
(20:0)
Arachidic acid
0.06-0.21
(20:1)
Gadoleic acid
0-0.035
(22:0)
Behenic acid
0.02-0.12
The reported concentration of myristate and palmitate (the cholestrogenic fatty acids) for the pepitas ranged from 1.6% to 4.9%. The total unsaturated fatty acid concentration ranged from 9% to 21% of the pepita. The total fat content ranged from 11% to 52% of the pepita. Based on the quantity of alpha-tocopherol extracted in the oil, the vitamin E content of the twelve C. maxima cultivar seeds ranged from 4 to 19 mg/g of pepita.
Nutraceutical uses
The seeds (and seed oil, see below) of pumpkins, such as Cucurbita pepo varieties have been subject to a great deal of research, especially into the treatment of prostate ailments.
Whole seeds or kernels
According to the USDA, one gram of pepita contains 4.31 mg and one gram of pepita protein contains 15.3 mg of L-tryptophan, whereas one cup of milk contains 183 mg. This high tryptophan content makes pepita of interest to researchers studying the treatment of anxiety disorders. Some eat the seeds as preventative measure against onset of anxiety attacks, clinical depression and other mood disorders.[citation needed]
Some studies have also found pumpkin seeds to prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)[citation needed] and to regulate cholesterol levels in the body.[citation needed]
According to Nicole Egenberger, ND, clinic director for Remed Naturopaths, certain unnamed studies suggest that pepita ingestion may lower the risk of certain types of kidney stones. In making this claim, Egenberger used the phrase “omega fatty acids”.
The oil
Main article: Pumpkin seed oil
The oil of pumpkin seeds, a culinary speciality in (and important export commodity of) Central European cuisine as a salad oil and a cooking oil, is also used to treat irritable bowel syndrome and various other ailments, both in folk medicine[citation needed] and in modern medical practice[citation needed] and research.[citation needed]
Long an Eastern European folk remedy for the prostate problems of men[citation needed], the oil has in fact been shown to improve symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.[citation needed] Components in pumpkin seed oil appear to interrupt the triggering of prostate cell multiplication by testosterone and DHT.[citation needed] It is questionable whether eating the seeds whole in snack quantities, rather than taking therapeutic doses of the concentrated oil, would provide any prostate benefit.
In German folk medicine, the oil is also used to quell parasitic infestations such as tapeworms.[citation needed]
See also
List of edible seeds
References
^ Pepita Preparation[clarification needed]
^ a b c World’s Healthiest Foods[clarification needed][unreliable source?]
^ The Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds[clarification needed][unreliable source?]
^ Stevenson, D. G., Eller, F. J., Wang, L., Jane, J., Wang, T., & Inglett, G. E. “Oil and Tocopherol content and Composition of Pumpkin Seed Oil in 12 Cultivars” J. Agric. Food Chem. 2007(55) 4005-4013. The data are found in Tables 1-3 on pp. 4006-4010.
^ a b See Pumpkin seed oil#References for extensive medical journal citations.
^ http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
^ “New Study Demonstrates Treatment of Anxiety Disorders using Pumpkin Seed”[clarification needed]
^ Nicole Egenberger, ND, “Stock Up for the New Year”, Alternative Medicine, January 2008 (103) p. 16. http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/articleSearch.article/articleID/14699/keyword/kidney%20stones/StockUpfortheNew
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