Common Ground: Promise in the Pumpkin Patch

October 2007 | Healthy Living :: Body Talk

Promise in the Pumpkin Patch

by Liz Barker

Pepitas and pumpkin pie aren’t the only good stuff that can come from the bright-orange gourds of autumn. Pumpkin extract may help elevate insulin levels in people with diabetes, suggests recent research from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. In studying diabetic rats, researchers found that pumpkin extract promoted the regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells, which in turn heightened levels of insulin producing cells and insulin in the blood.

The study didn’t determine whether pumpkin extract might have the same effect on human pancreatic cells. But the antioxidant-rich substance is “potentially a very good product for pre-diabetic persons, as well as those who have already developed diabetes,” states lead study author Tao Xia. Although insulin injections will most likely always be necessary for diabetics, Xia adds, a regular dose of pumpkin extract might drastically reduce the amount of insulin required by such patients.

Secrets to Workout Success

Checking out a new class at the gym? Listen up when the instructor hollers. In a new study from Psychology of Sport and Exercise, women seemed to benefit more from step-aerobics classes when their teacher talked up the workout’s health effects instead of focusing on looking leaner.

All of the study’s 99 participants were college-aged women with social physique anxiety, a disorder characterized by chronic worrying that others are critiquing the individual’s body. The study members were split into four classes, each taught by the same woman: In two of the classes, the instructor wore loose-fitting clothes and encouraged her students to “get fit and healthy”; in the other two classes, she wore a tight-fitting outfit and shouted instructions such as “Let’s get your legs toned so they look good!”

Not only did students in the health-oriented classes say they enjoyed their workouts more — they also reported feeling more revitalized and less exhausted after class when compared to participants in the appearance-focused aerobics sessions.

The No-Excuse Exercise Plan

Just a half hour of brisk walking three times a week could be enough exercise to boost your fitness and keep your blood pressure in check, according to a new Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health study of 106 healthy but sedentary adults (ages 40 to 60). For 12 weeks, 86 of the study members walked briskly for a half hour on either three or five days of the week, while the remaining 20 participants continued their exercise-free routine.

All of the walkers saw a drop in their waist size, hip girth, and systolic blood pressure — as well as a rise in their overall fitness — but none of the non-walkers had any changes in such measures. What’s more, the walkers’ decrease in blood pressure and hip and waist circumference were significant enough to lower risk of acquiring a cardiovascular disease, the study’s authors note.

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