In the countdown to Valentine’s Day, the newspapers are awash with advice on how to make the day go with a swing. If there is an opening for advice that can’t be taken too seriously, the skate-boarding duck of TV news, as it were, can Professor Patrick Holford not be persuaded to fill it?
Pumpkin seeds, along with Brazil nuts and almonds, are rich in the amino acid arginine, boosting levels of blood to the genitals, making them natural Viagra, according to both the nutritionist Patrick Holford and the television pundit Gillian McKeith. in 2005, McKeith caused a stampede on UK supermarkets when she revealed the power of the pumpkin seed on the female libido – though there’s no sign of either sex rushing back to buy new supplies.
Fascinating. One only regrets that there is no guidance as to the dosage that would be needed to achieve serum levels that would have such an effect. Or the time from ingestion to this blooming of the blood vessels and capillaries. Not everybody finds the USDA nutrient composition breakdown of pumpkin seeds to be ardour-promoting when whispered in the ear. However, Holford Watch is a little sad that neither Holford nor McKeith have brought out their own range of Valentine goodies such as super-antioxidant chocolate-coated nuts. But, perhaps, in some matters, discretion is to be advised, particularly given their unfortunate records with the ASA…
6 responses so far ↓
Kat // February 14, 2008 at 11:19 am
they may be rich in arginine, but they also contain 540 cals/100gm, so if you eat too many of these you’re likely to end up rather porky, which might have other effects on both libido and pulling prospects.
dvnutrix // February 14, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Ah- if you can buy bottles of pumpkin-seed oil, the blighters must be full of the stuff, hence the calories, eh?
Some supplement firm or other sponsored trials into libido and their arginine supplements- the LA Times wasn’t too impressed.
Andysnat // February 14, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Would it amuse you to learn that one of my sons is studying computeryness at, you guessed it, Teesside University.
I hope Holford doesn’t rub off on him.
The Editor // February 18, 2008 at 1:17 am
Do we really need a whole blog to make some guy no one’s ever heard of look like an idiot? And keep my Libido out of this :)
menefreghismo // February 18, 2008 at 11:18 pm
You’re in the US aren’t you Editor so perhaps you aren’t that familiar with him. The guy gets a lot of coverage in the UK and South Africa (amongst others). He is frequently on TV and radio as well as publicised in newspapers. All of which would be fine if he weren’t using distorted science and research to try and influence public policy.
Besides which, I don’t think anyone makes Patrick Holford look like an idiot - he writes and speaks for himself.
The Editor // February 19, 2008 at 2:49 am
We’ll that explains it, most people in the US have never heard of him I guess.
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