Pumpkin against high blood pressure?

Instead of scaring people on Halloween and raising their blood pressure, the autumn messenger pumpkin, according to recent findings, may also lower blood pressure.

Parts of the vegetable - the seeds or the oil - have been known for some time to be beneficial for health. According to an American study, the flesh and also the seeds could help lower blood pressure. In the study, young rats with elevated blood pressure were divided into four groups and fed pumpkin or pumpkin seeds over a period of eight weeks. The comparison groups received the ACE inhibitor Captopril or a control diet. At the end of the observation period, the MAP (mean arterial pressure) of the rats that had eaten pumpkin flesh or pumpkin seeds was significantly lower compared to the control group that only received the control diet.

However, whether this result can also be transferred to humans has not yet been researched.

However, pumpkin is also used in the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) as a recommended food. The DASH diet is a special dietary form against high blood pressure. Pumpkin is used here mainly because of its high potassium content. Potassium is considered the counterbalance to sodium - that is, table salt, which raises blood pressure in many people. It has a blood pressure-lowering effect. The ratio of both substances should be balanced, but generally, too little potassium is consumed through diet. Pumpkin can help regulate this. Since it is low in calories, it supports a healthy diet and can also aid in weight loss.

Overall, the blood pressure-lowering effect of pumpkin found in the study on rodents is not directly transferable to humans. However, pumpkin, as a potassium-rich and low-calorie autumn vegetable, is certainly suitable as support in the effort to bring blood pressure into the normal range or to maintain it there.

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By Sabine Croci. This article is medically reviewed. Last updated (04/2024).
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Pumpkin against high blood pressure?

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