1, hypoglycemia
Pumpkin is one of the traditional hypoglycemic foods in China. In 1970s, Japan reported the application of pumpkin powder in treating diabetes. Over the years, many researchers have devoted themselves to the study of pumpkin in preventing and treating diabetes. It is suggested that pectin, cyclopropyl amino acid and trace elements zinc and chromium in pumpkin may play an important role in preventing and treating diabetes. The chromium content of pumpkin ranks first among all kinds of vegetables. Chromium is one of the essential trace elements for human body, and trivalent chromium is the active center of glucose tolerance factor (GrP), which can stimulate glucose uptake and help maintain glucose tolerance. Chromium deficiency in human body is one of the causes of hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease. Chromium can not only inhibit the generation of malignant tumors in the body, but also promote the release of insulin in the body, so that the insulin secretion of diabetic patients is normal, which is very effective in lowering blood sugar. Cyclopropyl amino acid can promote the secretion of insulin, enhance the sensitivity of insulin receptor, activate glucoamylase, accelerate the transformation of glucose and reduce blood sugar concentration. In addition, pumpkin is rich in pectin, which can reduce postprandial blood sugar and blood insulin levels; At the same time, pectin has the function of satiety, which can improve the hunger of patients, thus controlling and assisting the treatment of diabetes and its complications, and is a good diet for diabetic patients. In addition, Zhang Yongjun and others isolated pumpkin polysaccharide from pumpkin, and preliminarily determined the hypoglycemic mechanism of pumpkin polysaccharide through mouse animal experiments. Clinical trials have proved that diabetic patients eat 100g pumpkin powder every day. After 10 days, all patients improved in different degrees, and some even recovered. At present, pumpkin powder has been regarded as the "nemesis" of diabetes by experts.
2. Reduce blood lipids
Especially the increase of LDL is a risk factor for myocardial infarction. The chemical composition of pumpkin polysaccharide contains a lot of uronic acid and more negatively charged acidic genes. Therefore, it is speculated that pumpkin polysaccharide may have a similar effect to phospholipid, which can clear cholesterol and prevent arteriosclerosis. In addition, negatively charged pumpkin polysaccharide can bind with LPL at physiological pH and be released into blood from arterial wall, which can promote the degradation of chylothorax and VLDL and prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension.
3. Prevention and treatment of cancer
4, detoxification, protection of liver and kidney
Pumpkin contains ingredients that can destroy harmful substances such as pesticides and nitrite in food, which can help patients with weakened liver and kidney function and enhance their ability to regenerate liver and kidney cells. Eating yellow-green vegetables such as pumpkin and cauliflower every day can reduce the incidence and mortality of lung cancer.
5, anti-oxidation, protect eyesight
β -carotene in pumpkin. Vitamin E has a strong antioxidant effect, which can effectively protect the body from some oxygen free radicals and peroxides, and may have a certain anti-aging effect. β -carotene can be converted into vitamin A(VA), which has important physiological functions in human body. VA plays an important role in protecting eyesight, preventing eye diseases, maintaining the health of human epithelial tissues and promoting the growth and development of children. At the same time, VA plays an important physiological role in maintaining normal vision, improving vision, promoting bone development and preventing cancer in vivo. As the source of VA in food, pumpkin food is more economical than animal food (such as liver and egg yolk). It is reported that people over 80 who often eat pumpkins can still maintain good eyesight and read newspapers without glasses.