Pumpkin seed extract found to alleviate prostate enlargement symptoms, says research

29 Apr 2019 --- An oil-free hydroethanolic pumpkin seed extract by Frutarom Health, EFLA 940, used in the product Go-Less Men, was found to alleviate symptoms associated with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) in a monocentric study at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Graz, Austria. Positive effects of EFLA 940 are said to begin after four weeks of intake. This response was shown to be further augmented over the remaining study period. 

EFLA 940 is a plant extract originating from defatted pumpkin seeds of Cucurbita pepo L. ssp. pepo var. styriaca. It is manufactured using a water-ethanolic extraction solvent and a proprietary decontamination procedure (“EFLA Hyperpure”), resulting in an oil-free pumpkin seed extract with ensured stability, purity and solubility, and devoid of any rancidity. The extract is found to contain a unique combination of cucurbitin and polyphenolic compounds that can offer positive effects.

BPH is an age-related condition in which the prostate gland is enlarged, but not cancerous. According to the Urology Care Foundation, BPH is very common, affecting half of men between 51 and 60 years of age and up to 90 percent of men aged 80 and above. The condition causes a substantial disease burden that can bear a significant impact on quality of life. 

“As the prostate grows, the urethra can become narrow, causing blockage of the bladder. This may eventually induce taxing lower urinary tract symptoms, including voiding difficulties, which can adversely affect the quality of life,” says Moran Werner Saido, Product Manager for Frutarom Health. 

She further notes, “in most cases of men presenting with mild to moderate symptoms, BPH is not actively treated but monitored via annual checkups. During this phase, the use of phytotherapeutics, such as pumpkin seeds extract to support bladder function, may be opportune.” 

Published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the study analyzed the effects of the drug in sixty men with a mean age of sixty-two years suffering from moderate or severe symptomatic BPH for a minimum of six months. Participants were prescribed one pill containing 500 mg of EFLA 940 daily for three months. After four, eight and twelve weeks participants were monitored using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) to track the symptoms of the BPH.

The results showed that with this prescribed daily dose, male subjects expressed significant symptom reduction for the total IPSS, and in all BPH related symptoms, in as soon as four weeks. 

An improvement of symptoms from “moderate/severe” to “mild” were reported by 35.7 percent of men. Nocturia (nighttime urination) and residual fluid volume in the bladder after urination was found to have been significantly reduced by the end of clinical trial. 

Monographs of the German Commission E of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, The Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) and European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) have endorsed the suitability of pumpkin seeds for the treatment of BPH-related voiding difficulties and irritable bladder. 

This new research follows previous studies demonstrating the clinical efficacy of EFLA 940 in populations that suffer from frequent night time urination. In 2014, a clinical study of 120 women with overactive bladder-related voiding dysfunction found a 30 percent decrease in the average frequency of subjects’ nocturia during a 12-week period.

By Benjamin Ferrer