pumpkin
A low-calorie, beta-carotene powerhouse whose seeds are the best-studied part for prostate and urinary health.
Moderate evidence
🥦Vegetables
Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
11 verified / 11
Classification
Vegetables
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.
Nutrition per serving 1 cup mashed, cooked (boiled, drained) (245 g)
- Sugars 6.8 g3%
- Fibre 2.7 g1%
- Other carbs 2.5 g1%
- Protein 1.8 g1%
- Other 231.2 g94%
49 kcal1.8 g protein2.7 g fiber6.8 g sugar
| Nutrient | Per serving | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 12 mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 2.7 g | 10% |
| Potassium | 564 mg | 12% |
| Folate | 22 µg | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 706 µg | 78% |
| Vitamin K | 2 µg | 2% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 6% |
| Manganese | 0.22 mg | 10% |
| Copper | 0.21 mg | 23% |
| Vitamin E | 2 mg | 13% |
| Magnesium | 22 mg | 5% |
| Calcium | 37 mg | 3% |
Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗
What is pumpkin?
pumpkin is a vegetable used for very high provitamin-a / carotenoid content. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Pumpkin flesh is very low in calories yet exceptionally rich in provitamin-A carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin), delivering well over a day's vitamin A in a single cup. The strongest human evidence centers on pumpkin seed oil/extract: randomized and controlled trials show modest improvements in lower-urinary-tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and small RCTs suggest favorable effects on HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and androgenetic-alopecia hair growth. Glycemic and broader cardiometabolic benefits of the flesh remain inconsistent and based largely on small or controlled (non-randomized) trials.
Purported Benefits
✓Very high provitamin-A / carotenoid content
✓Low energy density, high water content
✓Pumpkin-seed extracts may ease prostate/urinary symptoms
✓Seed oil linked to higher HDL and lower blood pressure
✓Source of potassium and lutein/zeaxanthin
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
Standard serving: 1 cup mashed, cooked (boiled, drained) (245 g). Eat whole (with skin where edible); favour whole fruit over juice.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Generally very safe as a food. Pumpkin seed oil is a concentrated supplement; doses used in trials (about 360 mg twice daily to 2 g/day) far exceed culinary intake. Seed allergy is possible. As with other vitamin-A-rich foods, the carotenoids in flesh are non-toxic, but very high intake of orange vegetables can cause harmless carotenemia (yellow-orange skin). Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining pumpkin with any medicine.
Key Studies ★ 11 studies
systematic review
Pumpkin & glycemic biomarkers 2026 (systematic review)
✓ Source
Systematic review of controlled clinical trials concluded that pumpkin's effects on glycemic control and type-2-diabetes biomarkers remain inconsistent, with low-quality and mixed results.
meta-analysis
Vlachojannis 2024 (systematic review/meta-analysis)
✓ Source
Pooled analysis of two 12-month placebo-controlled RCTs found pumpkin seed soft extract significantly reduced IPSS for lower-urinary-tract symptoms in BPH versus placebo, with improved quality of life.
RCT
Hong 2021 (PMC8527717)
✓ Full text
Single-blind RCT comparing pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita pepo, 360 mg twice daily) to tamsulosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia found both reduced International Prostate Symptom Score over 3 months, with pumpkin seed oil offering symptom relief without tamsulosin's side-effect profile.
RCT
Vahlensieck 2015 (GRANU RCT)
✓ PubMed
One-year randomized placebo-controlled trial in 1,431 men with BPH/LUTS: pumpkin seed reduced IPSS more than placebo (-6.8 vs -5.2 points), a significant but clinically modest difference.
clinical trial
Leibbrand 2019 (clinical pilot)
✓ Full text
In 60 men with BPH, 12 weeks of an oil-free hydroethanolic pumpkin seed extract reduced IPSS by 30.1% and lowered post-void residual urine volume (83.7 to 63.1 mL).
RCT
Wong 2019 (RCT)
✓ PubMed
Randomized trial of pumpkin seed oil supplementation in postmenopausal women reported favorable effects on arterial hemodynamics and cardiac autonomic function versus control.
RCT
CELcomplex 2019 (PMC6435946)
✓ Full text
Clinical study of a Cucurbita pepo seed extract plus flax and Casuarina (CELcomplex) reported improved effectiveness and safety for stress urinary incontinence in women.
RCT
Cho 2014 (RCT)
✓ Full text
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 76 men with androgenetic alopecia: 400 mg/day pumpkin seed oil for 24 weeks increased mean hair count by ~40% versus ~10% with placebo.
RCT
Gossell-Williams 2011 (pilot RCT)
✓ Source
In 35 postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of 2 g/day pumpkin seed oil significantly raised HDL cholesterol (0.92 to 1.07 mmol/L) and lowered diastolic blood pressure versus wheat-germ-oil control.
Observational
Friederich (GRANU) 2022 (PMC9236993)
✓ Full text
24-month noninterventional study of a Cucurbita pepo seed extract in men reported improvement in BPH lower urinary tract symptoms without adverse effects on sexual function.
Observational
Leibbrand 2019 (PMID 31261419)
✓ PubMed
12-week noninterventional study of a Cucurbita pepo-Rhus aromatica-Humulus lupulus combination in women with overactive bladder showed significant reductions in daytime and nighttime urination frequency after treatment.