EATING pumpkin could give you a boost in bed, pharmacists claim.
Rather than chucking out the flesh when making jack-o’-lanterns this Halloween, men should eat it to help prevent erectile dysfunction.
The autumn fruit is packed full of nutrients that help prevent high blood pressure — one of the biggest causes of ED.
Abbas Kanani, of online pharmacy Chemist Click, said: “Pumpkins are high in potassium which helps counteract the adverse effects of sodium on blood pressure.”
More than half of men aged 40 to 70 suffer erectile dysfunction, which makes it difficult to achieve and maintain erections
Stress, too much alcohol and tiredness can all cause this occasionally.
However, it could be a sign of more serious conditions if it happens regularly, including high blood pressure.
Men with hypertension are nearly twice as likely to have ED, because it causes worse blood flow to their privates.
Potassium helps lower blood pressure because it lowers the effects of sodium — which comes from salt — in the blood.
Sodium increases blood pressure but the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you release in urine.
However, eating too much potassium can be dangerous for people with kidney diseases.
Mr Kanani said: “Too much potassium can be harmful in people with kidney disorders.
“As kidneys become less able to remove potassium from your blood, too much potassium may build up.”
The NHS recommends you do not eat more than 3,500mg of potassium a day.
A standard serving of a cup of pumpkin cubes contains around 394mg of the nutrient.
Pumpkin also helps boost your immune system because it contains beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A and C.
These help improve your white blood cell production, keeping you protected against illness and infection through the winter months.
Previous research, published in the Journal of Food Biochemistry, also showed eating pumpkin seeds helps improve levels of chemicals in the body linked to getting erections.
Researchers tested rats to see how eating raw and roasted seeds impacted their levels of nitric oxide in their blood.
The chemical helps widen your blood vessels, allowing more blood to reach the penis.
It is a crucial part of how Viagra works — the drug helps stimulate enzymes that increase nitric oxide production.
Rats given pumpkin seeds had higher levels of nitric oxide than those not given the seeds, with a greater effect seen in those given the roasted variety.
Dr Seun Akomolafe, of Ekiti State University in Nigeria, said: “This study revealed that with roasting could improve the antioxidant activity of pumpkin seeds and crucial enzymes related to erectile function.
“Hence, consumption of roasted pumpkin seeds could be more beneficial compared to raw pumpkin seeds.”
