The benefits of pumpkin water, from a source of vitamins to prevent cancer

Many people may be familiar with chayote and pumpkin, but have you ever consumed pumpkin water? Its fresh taste makes water squash not very popular. In fact, this vegetable is very rich in nutrients. Consumption of pumpkin water is also believed to provide many health benefits. What are the benefits?

Benefits of pumpkin water for health

The water gourd is the fruit of a vine with scientific name Lagenaria siceraria . The shape is oval with bright green skin color and white flesh. Cooked squash usually has a tasteless or cucumber-like taste.

There are various types of nutrients contained in pumpkin water. By including pumpkin water in your daily menu, you can get the following benefits:

1. Get a variety of nutrients

Pumpkin water is a low-calorie food with a variety of nutrients. One hundred grams of pumpkin contains 3.8 grams of carbohydrates, 0.6 grams of protein, and 0.2 grams of fat. Thanks to their high water content, this vegetable contains only 19 calories.

Consumption of pumpkin water helps provide your body with calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and iron. In addition, water pumpkin also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, and C. Vitamin C in 100 grams of pumpkin water even meets 10 percent of your daily needs.

2. Control blood sugar

A deep research International Journal of Green Pharmacy discovered the benefits of pumpkin water in lowering blood sugar levels. In this study, as many as 50 people aged 40-60 years were asked to drink 200 mL of pumpkin juice every morning for 90 days.

After regularly drinking pumpkin juice, the average fasting blood sugar (GDP) from 87.5 mg / dL dropped to 84.1 mg / dL. Although a little, this decline of 3.9 percent shows that pumpkin juice has potential for diabetics.

3. Lowering cholesterol

In other studies in Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine , pumpkin water has the potential to lower cholesterol. The researchers dissolved the water gourd extract in a number of ingredients, then gave it to several mice.

As a result, pumpkin extract showed benefits in lowering total cholesterol, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels low-density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL is bad cholesterol that can trigger plaque formation in blood vessels.

4. Helps cure skin diseases

Extracts of the leaves, seeds, and water of pumpkin meat have long been used as traditional medicines to treat skin diseases. This is because the water pumpkin has a fairly strong antimicrobial compound.

Still in the same research, pumpkin extract is known to be effective in warding off bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes . Both of these bacteria can trigger skin infections which are characterized by a rash, pain, redness, and itching.

5. Potential to reduce the risk of cancer

Pumpkin water has benefits in lowering the risk of cancer thanks to the various antioxidants in it. This vegetable is very rich in quercetin and anthraquinone. Both have antiangiogenetic properties that can control cancer growth.

Antiangiogenesis compounds inhibit the growth of blood vessels so that cancerous tissue cannot grow optimally. In experimental tests, the antioxidants in pumpkin water also have the potential to inhibit the spread of cancer in the body.

In order to get the various benefits of pumpkin water, you don't have to bother turning it into an extract like scientists do. Just make pumpkin water as one of the vegetable choices that you consume every day.

The taste of water pumpkin tends to be tasteless. However, you can still turn squash into a delicious dish with the right recipes, seasonings, and processing techniques. Good luck!