Just one 28-gram serving of pumpkin seeds delivers 40 p.c of your really helpful every day consumption of magnesium.

Dr Lee mentioned: “Increasing the intake of magnesium improves insulin sensitivity - meaning it improves the response to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin. 

“It also helps lower insulin resistance – meaning it reduces the inability of cells to respond to insulin.”

Another ingredient that performs a “vital role” in blood glucose metabolism, hidden throughout the crunchy snacks, is zinc.

The physician mentioned: “Zinc is essential for the synthesis of insulin. Zinc is also known to bind by itself to insulin receptor sites and activate insulin pathways.”

Pumpkin seeds are additionally good sources of unsaturated oils with glucose-lowering properties.

Furthermore, they're filled with dietary fibre which is understood to maintain blood sugar in examine.

Dr Lee added: “The presence of fibre in the gut slows the rate at which the stomach empties, delaying glucose absorption over a longer period of time. 

“Fibre also helps you feel fuller for longer so decreases the appetite which also helps to keep blood sugars lower.”

Don’t simply take the physician’s phrase for it, as research, printed within the journal Nutrition Research, additionally highlighted the promising results of the meals on blood sugar.

The analysis seen that consuming two servings of pumpkin seeds lowered blood glucose by 35 p.c.

However, Dr Lee recommended that consuming one 28-gram serving of pumpkin seeds per day must be sufficient to do the trick.

She added: “The best time to eat pumpkin seeds is in the morning as part of breakfast or as snacks during the day.”