Can PKD Patients Eat Pumpkin Seeds

Is pumpkin seeds helpful for Polycystic Kidney Disease? It mainly depends on patients own illness condition, the health benefits of pumpkin seeds are following:

They pump up your potassium

The body likes potassium for jobs such as helping muscles contract, regulating fluids, balancing minerals and maintaining blood pressure; it may also help reduce the risk of recurrent kidney stones and bone loss as the body ages. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science recommends that adults consume at least 4,700 milligrams of potassium every day, which is twice as much as most people get. Pumpkin seeds are a notably rich source of this important mineral with 588 mg per cup. Compare that to the famous potassium source known as a banana — a medium one provides 422 mg.

They bolster your immunity

There’s a reason that treatments to prevent and quell the common cold generally contain zinc; it’s an important mineral that plays a significant role in immune function. The National Institutes of Health recommends 8 mg of zinc daily for adult women, and a cup of pumpkin seeds will almost meet that with its 6.59 mg.

The are chock-full of antioxidants

Pumpkin seeds are unique in their abundance of antioxidants. WHFoods.org notes that the seeds contain numerous forms of vitamin E, as well as the phenolic acids hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, protocatechuic, vanillic and syringic acid. Antioxidant phytonutrients like lignans are also found in pumpkin seeds, including the lignans pinoresinol, medioresinol and lariciresinol. Importantly, says the site, “this diverse mixture of antioxidants in pumpkin seeds may provide them with antioxidant-related properties that are not widely found in food.” They're special!

If you want to know more details about the health diet of pumpkin seeds, you can send email to kidneyhospitalabroad@hotmail.com.