Pumpkin Seed Oil Reduces Hot Flashes, Improves Cholesterol, and Reduces Blood Pressure in Women

We are always looking for the next best thing when it comes to improving our cholesterol scores and lowering our blood pressure, but many of us may not be looking to the harvest of the season for answers. Pumpkin seed oil has long been used for treating intestinal disturbances, cholesterol and blood pressure regulation, and most recently prostate hypertrophy.

However a pilot study released in October of 2011 looked at the links between women taking pumpkin seed oil and the many positive effects on their health. Not only did these researchers find that these women's blood pressure decreased, but they also found an improvement in both HDL (good) cholesterol levels and menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings.

What these researchers may be looking into in the near future is, why? Well the answer is two fold so I'll try to keep it simple.

Pumpkin seeds have high incidence of chromium which is an essential nutrient needed for proper function of sex hormones and insulin in the body. This means that the chromium present in this miracle seed may actually be helping these women's bodies to function and direct their hormones to be more balanced. This balancing effect can help with not only menopause but women suffering from PMS, painful periods, PCOS, and even infertility. If the researchers would have looked at diabetes or weight loss, they might also have found that the women involved in the study would have also had improvement in their rate of weight loss and managing their diabetes as well since the insulin regulation would have been improved.

Pumpkin seeds are also rich in magnesium which is a really important mineral that is said to be even more important that calcium!! 80% of the population is magnesium deficient, so most likely the women involved in this study might have had some deficiency. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant that helps to relax the skeletal and smooth muscle of the body so it can help to reduce muscle spasms and cramping as well as relax the walls of the blood vessels to improve blood pressure. In addition, magnesium is an essential mineral that is used to regulate the enzymes used to produce cholesterol in the body, so supplementation using pumpkin seed oil would have increased production of HDL cholesterol in the body.

Wow that's some great stuff, but what do I want you to take from this? Make sure you're eating your seasonal fruits and vegetables so you're not only rounding out your diet but getting many of the essential minerals that are needed for everyday body functions. If you're not a bit fan of pumpkin or pumpkin seeds, I'd recommend talking to a doctor or a specialized nutritionist that would be able to make some suggestions for supplements that would help you get enough magnesium and chromium to improve your health. If you need some guidance, AlignLife offers nutritional phone consultations to those that feel a bit overwhelmed by the many different food sources and supplement choices there are available on the market today. Just call 309-689-6200 to set-up your appointment today.