Pumpkin seeds are an ancient food in the human diet. The Aztecs ground them into traditional sauces such as mole or pepián, while pumpkins themselves were first cultivated back in 6000-5000BC, in the Central Mexican regions of Oaxaca and Tehuacán. Seeds similar to pumpkin seeds have been unearthed in Mexican caves and tombs dating back to 7000BC.
Today, pumpkin seeds aren’t exactly raking in money. In the wider world of natural health, they’ve been edged out by chia seeds, while gym rats and bodybuilders dismiss all seeds as lightweight foods fit only for your pet rabbit.
However, pumpkin seeds have gained a great reputation for clearing acne. You see pumpkin seeds in “top ten foods for acne” lists constantly.
Meanwhile, others say that all seeds are unnatural foods for the human species, and must be eliminated. Which theory is correct?
The zinc theory
The main theory is that pumpkin seeds are loaded with zinc, which is indeed the best acne supplement you can take. It works by constraining immune system assaults and keeping your skin calm, in addition to enhancing vitamin A and its oily skin powers.
Pumpkin seeds contain a strong 34% of the daily allowance for zinc per snack sized portion of 50 grams. That’s great on paper, because rich sources of zinc are fairly uncommon. You tend to find moderate levels in a variety of animal foods like eggs and meat, as opposed to one incredible source. A good start then, but where pumpkin seeds fall down is in the bioavailability.
Like various seeds, nuts and grains, pumpkin seeds are naturally rich in phytic acid, a defensive toxin. Phytic acid is designed to instill fear in predators by causing digestive upset and malnourishment, and most pertinently for acne, phytic acid reduces the absorption of minerals through your gut lining.
Read Annihilate Your Acne – learn to prevent acne and stop just treating it!
Cows and sheep are naturally equipped with the phytase enzyme required to digest phytic acid, but monogastric animals like humans and dogs are not. For instance, this study found that the phytic acid in maize inhibited zinc absorption massively, while this one commented that “phytic acid is the main known inhibitor of zinc”.
Almonds are loaded with phytic acid, while coconut flesh contains very little. Pumpkin seeds rank highly in the seed group, containing 2.13 grams of phytates per 50 grams. Sesame seeds contain just 0.76 grams.
Phytic acid doesn’t completely inhibit mineral absorption. Some zinc will survive the voyage into your bloodstream, but overall, pumpkin seeds are a dramatically inferior food for zinc than their reputation suggests. In practice, they’re no better than a weak quality boiled egg from a chicken kept in a cramped farmhouse, or even some greasy fish and chips from the street corner.
A secret way to increase collagen?
Luckily, they’re redeemed by a power which almost nobody knows about. Pumpkin seeds are one of the few plant sources of complete proteins.
Unlike potatoes or broccoli, they contain the full range of essential amino acids required by the human body. They’re an optimal snack for a vegan determined to avoid the “skinny weakling” stereotype (not a guaranteed fate if you’re a vegan and intelligent about it)…
…and pumpkin seeds are particularly rich in the uncommon amino acid glycine. Glycine is the hidden amino acid, the hidden secret, as it significantly increases levels of collagen manufactured by the human body.
More collagen is the solution for stronger skin, younger skin, and smoother skin. It’s the solution for everything you’ve ever wanted. Vitamin C is important for collagen as well, but it’s a co-factor, an agent needed to mediate the process, while glycine is an essential ingredient.
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Then there’s the glutathione benefits. This is the body’s main self-manufactured antioxidant, and again, glycine is one of the minerals needed to manufacture it.
Pumpkin seeds are loaded with glycine. This is a natural feature which is almost never discussed, but for acne, it beats the zinc content easily. There’s plenty of decent glycine sources out there, such as beef, gelatin, liver and pork. However, they’re all animal foods. If you’re a vegan who wishes to keep your skin strong, then pumpkin seeds are a great secret weapon to know about.
The glycine content of pumpkin seeds is approximately 1358mg per 100 grams. Compare that to other seeds:
Sunflower seeds per 100 grams – 1104mg.
Sesame seeds – 1162mg.
Chia seeds – 907mg.
Flax seeds – 1248mg.
Sunflower seeds give pumpkin seeds a run for their money, but they seem to have some dark secrets, as this study confirmed that eating sunflower seeds for two weeks led to acne outbreaks among fifty 15-30 year olds. Flax seeds are also a rich source, but have notorious estrogenic side effects.
THE HIDDEN DANGERS – defensive toxins
Pumpkin seeds have promising powers for acne, even if they’re not exactly what a mainstream guru would claim. Yet they also a hidden dark side. Any seed designed to sprout and give birth to a new plant is loaded with toxins designed to ward off predators, and that includes you or me.
We’ve covered phytic acid already. Phytates bind to minerals in the seed itself, but there’s also evidence that they snatch away the mineral supplies of your own body. This might rob you of important acne minerals like magnesium.
Pumpkin seeds also contains oxalates, which increase inflammation in the human body among susceptible individuals. This time, pumpkin seeds contain less than most seeds, but still enough to create fresh pimples if you’re particularly sensitive.
Most worrying is the fat profile. Pumpkin seeds contain 14 grams of fat per 100 grams; the fat is their natural energy for fueling the young stages of the new plant’s life. 12 grams of that fat are omega 6s, while only 0.00000012 grams are omega 3s. Eat too many pumpkin seeds, and your omega ratios will become very unbalanced. Omega 6s are pro-inflammatory (and omega 3s anti), so the result will be an immune system that launches overactive responses to the slightest bacteria in your skin pores.
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Pumpkin seeds also contain lectins, which cause digestive discomfort on the surface, and reduce the absorption of important acne nutrients beneath. Finally, there are protease inhibitors, found in all seeds. The goal of these is to disrupt protein digestion, causing the natural predators of pumpkins like deer and rabbits to weaken and get eaten by their own predators. Don’t worry – you probably won’t get eaten – but these could make the beneficial glycine weaker than it first appears.
Of these five flaws, the omega 6 overload is the one most worrying for the vast majority of acne patients, while others vary between individuals.
Who can eat pumpkin seeds?
Pumpkin seeds are a chaotic mixture of benefits and downsides. The reality is that some people can acquire the acne benefits easily while others cannot:
Vegans – vitamin B12 is the nutrient which vegans infamously struggle to acquire, but glycine can also be tricky, as can zinc, as the best sources are mainly animal foods. I recommend against a vegan diet for acne, but if it’s philosophical and you’re determined to stick with it, pumpkin seeds are a great snack to carry around with you.
Gluten free dieters – if you’ve been gluten free for months, your digestion will have grown more efficient and calm. Gluten free dieters will be much more resistant to the lectins and phytic acid in pumpkin seeds.
People who eat a traditional diet – if you’re reading this from a fishing village in Japan or the valleys of Nepal, then your digestive system is probably in exquisite shape. Traditional diets consist of more fermented foods like natto or kombucha, with healthy bacterial strains. The lack of obsessive cleanliness and hygiene in traditional cultures also improves gut bacteria through exposure to dirt. All this makes the antinutrients in pumpkin seeds much easier to cope with.
What about the opposite, the people who should avoid pumpkin seeds?
People with IBS or chronic digestion problems – if you have a weak digestive system then you will not withstand the antinutrients in pumpkin seeds at all.
The source of all your nausea and stomach aches is probably 1) imbalanced gut bacteria, or 2) a dysfunctional gut lining. The phytic acid and lectins in pumpkin seeds will worsen both conditions and worsen your acne. Luckily, with steps such as slashing sugar and removing gluten, your digestion should gradually improve. It isn’t an incurable condition from which you should simply pray for respite; it’s caused by “conventional wisdom”, the irreparably flawed Standard American Diet.
Standard American dieters – speaking of which, if you’ve only just uncovered the world of natural dietary strategies, then pumpkin seeds should be avoided. If you’ve stumbled through life eating what big health bodies have told you to, then your digestive system and body may simply be too weak. This can be true even if your digestion seems excellent. Eat cleanly for two months and your body will strengthen.
Carnivorous dieters – if you’re obsessed with meat, eggs and organs regardless of any natural health strategies, you are probably obtaining the benefits of pumpkin seeds already.
BONUS POWER – skin tone
This is another potential power which is far more interesting than zinc – boosting blood flow and therefore your skin’s glow.
This study fed rats a chemical that depleted nitric oxide, which in turn caused hypertension. The rats were then fed either pumpkin seed oil or a placebo. After two weeks, the pumpkin seed oil reversed the blood pressure increase, and reversed the depletion of nitric oxide metabolites.
To make you more of an expert, note that nitric oxide is a vasodilating gas which controls blood pressure. The key for acne is that nitric oxide dilates the tiny capillaries which deliver blood and nutrients to skin cells, so the fact that pumpkin seed oil protected it is great news.
The study was conducted on the extracted fats (oil) of the pumpkin seed, rather than the seeds themselves. However, the oil forms approximately 14% of the raw seeds, so this benefit is still likely to take effect.
None of the specific fatty acids in pumpkin seeds (e.g. omega 6s) are known to increase nitric oxide. It must be a hidden compound which hasn’t been isolated yet. The scientists concluded that pumpkin seed oil contained “a mechanism that may involve generation of NO”, but not what the mechanism was.
This is an unproven power, and I still don’t recommend eating tons of pumpkin seeds, but this snack could improve blood flow to the skin and improve your oxygen and nutrient delivery.
Conclusion
Pumpkin seeds have a niche, albeit a mediocre one – as an alternative source of acne nutrients. For most acne patients they are unspectacular, but if you’re a member of the vegan sect, then pumpkin seeds are excellent for acquiring important zinc and glycine without compromising your beliefs.
Additionally, their potential benefits for skin tone are very interesting. I will stay alert for new studies and update this page if necessary.
Pumpkin seeds are more of a secret acne trick which is good to have in your brain rather than a full scale acne miracle.
NEXT: get the full skin-clearing diet and wave acne goodbye forever
Thanks for reading!
references are BS