According to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, pumpkin extract - also known as Cucurbita ficifolia extract - potentially has a "beneficial effect in diabetic individuals which (sic) is exerted through its hypoglycemic, antioxidant and cytoprotective action."
The study concluded that pumpkin extract boosted plasma insulin levels of lab rats infected with Type 1 diabetes by as much as 36 percent. Those same rats also developed just 8 percent fewer insulin-positive (or beta) cells than rats not infected with diabetes.
 John Cozzolino walks through a field his family owns just off Highway 92 Monday. He is growing pumpkins on the land. |
People with diabetes do not generate enough insulin, which is a hormone that transforms sugar and other starches into energy for the body's use. Therefore, many diabetics need regular insulin doses, either through injections or from an automatic pump.
But as with all medications, insulin dosages can be tiresome and expensive, even when covered by insurance.
The study was led by researchers Tao Xia of East China Normal University and Qin Wang of Shanghai Jiaotong University in Shanghai, China. Xia and Wang noted in the study's introduction that pumpkins are "one of the most widely used vegetable remedies for the treatment of diabetes mellitus" in Asia. Their study endeavored to find scientific support for the folksy belief.
On this side of the Pacific Ocean, almost 21 million Americans have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.
B.J. Burns of Bianchi Flowers in Pescadero has been an insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetic since he was 19. Now 62, Burns has for years earned acclaim as a successful area pumpkin farmer.
He was delighted to hear this week that those two facts might enjoy a future connection.
"That would be very nice," Burns said when asked if he would welcome oral supplements instead of the insulin pump he has worn for the past decade. "Especially for kids who get (diabetes), they have to take the shots every day. It would be a lot easier."
As for whether the new study will influence the output and efforts of local pumpkin farmers, Burns didn't want to wager a guess.
"It's hard to say," he said. "It could do wonders for the industry. Then again it could be against the industry.
"To be honest with you, the pumpkin market doesn't change much," he said.
Jack Olsen, a fellow diabetic and San Mateo County Farm Bureau executive administrator, agreed. Olsen, who gives himself six insulin injections per day, said that pumpkins are not a really high-value crop.
"But agriculture is basic supply-and-demand at its best," he said.
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