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20.07.2022

What helps better against prostate problems? Pumpkin seeds or pumpkin extract supplements?

Especially in Germany, supplements containing pumpkin seed extract sell quite well. They should help reduce mild prostate symptoms. In 2015, German urologists investigated how well these supplements work. And whether they are more effective than ordinary dried pumpkin seeds.

Study
Winfried Vahlensieck, a urologist from Kurpark Hospital in Bad Nauheim, divided 1431 over-50s with mild prostate complaints into 3 groups. For a year, the men in one group took a placebo daily, men in another group received a supplement with pumpkin extract every day and men in another group ate 10 grams of pumpkin seed every day. That equates to 1.3 tablespoons per day.

The supplement that Vahlensieck provided to his subjects was Granu Fink, a product of GlaxoSmithKline. GlaxoSmithKline paid for the research.

One Granu-Fink capsule contains 500 milligrams of pumpkin extract. The men took 2 capsules a day.

Vahlensieck had the men complete the IPSS questionnaire every 3 months. It is designed to assess mild prostate symptoms.

Results
The researchers considered a decrease of 5 points or more on the IPSS as a sign that the treatment was working. All groups reported a decrease in symptoms, and there was no difference between the men who received the supplement and the men who took a placebo.

In contrast, the men who used pumpkin seed showed a greater decrease in complaints than in the placebo group.

Source:
Urol Int. 2015;94(3):286-95.

More:
25 grams of gelatin per day reduces benign prostate problems 15.02.2022
Supplementation with Epilobium angustifolium relieves mild prostate complaints 14.06.2021
Vigorous running prevents enlarged prostate 21.10.2008

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Pumpkins, Cucumbers & Zucchinis
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