Watermelon Contains A Wealth Of Valuable Nutrients
Watermelon Provides Abundant Vitamin A, B6, C, Healthful Fiber, Potassium and Lycopene. New Research Now Suggests That It Can Be An Effective Natural Weapon Against Pre-Hypertension, A Precursor to Cardiovascular Disease.
Watermelon is a favorite fruit because it's naturally sweet, low calorie, high fiber and nutrientrich! New evidence from
a study led by food scientists at The Florida State University now reports thatwatermelon can be an effective natural weapon
against pre-hypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.
It is the first investigation of its kind in humans, research scientists recently found that when six grams of the amino acid complex:
L-citrulline / L-arginine from watermelon extract was administered daily for six weeks, there was improved arterial functionand
consequently lowered aortic blood pressure in all nine of their pre-hypertensive subjects(four men and five post-menopausal
women, ages 51-57).
"We are the first to document improved aortic hemodynamics in prehypertensive but otherwise healthy middle-aged men and
womenreceiving therapeutic doses of watermelon," they said. "These findings suggest that this nutritive 'functional food' has a vasodilatoryeffect, and one that may prevent prehypertension from progressing to full-blown hypertension, a major risk factor for heart
attacks andstrokes.
"Given the encouraging evidence generated by this preliminary study, we hope to continue the research and include a much larger
group of participants in the next round," they said.
Why Is Watermelon So Beneficial?
"Watermelon is the richest edible natural source of L-citrulline, which is closely related to L-arginine, the amino acid required
for theformation of nitric oxide essential to the regulation of vascular tone and healthy blood pressure," the researchers said.
Once in the body, the L-citrulline is converted into L-arginine.Simply consuming L-arginine as a dietary supplement isn't an
option formany hypertensive adults, they said because it can potentially cause nausea, gastrointestinal tract discomfort and
diarrhea for those who have high blood pressure.
Watermelon is well tolerated. Participants in the Florida State pilot study reported no adverse effects. And, in addition to
the vascular benefits of citrulline, watermelon provides abundant vitamin A, B6, C, fiber, potassium and lycopene, a powerful
antioxidant. Watermelon may even help to reduce serum glucose levels the researchers suggested.
"Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States," they said. "Generally,Americans have
been more concerned about their blood cholesterol levels and dietary cholesterol intakes rather than their overallcardiovascular health risk factors leading to CVD, such as obesity and vascular dysfunction characterized by arterial stiffening andthickness, issues that functional foods such as watermelon can help to mitigate.
"By functional foods," noted the researchers "we mean those foods scientifically shown to have health-promoting or disease-preventing properties,above and beyond the other intrinsically healthy nutrients
they also supply."
Oral L-citrulline supplementation might allow a reduced dosage of antihypertensive drugs necessary to control bloodpressure.
"Even better, it may prevent the progression from pre-hypertension
to hypertension in the first place," they stressed.
While watermelon or watermelon extract is the best natural source for L-citrulline, it is also available in the synthetic form in pills, which
the team used in a previous study of younger, male subjects. That investigation showed that four weeks of L-citrulline slowed or
weakened the increase in aortic blood pressure in response to cold exposure. It was an important finding, they explained, since there
is a greater occurrence of myocardial infarction associated with hypertension during the cold winter months.
"Individuals with increased blood pressure and arterial stiffness, especially those who are older and those with chronic diseases
such as type 2 diabetes, would benefit from L-citrulline in either the synthetic or natural (watermelon) form," they recommended. "The
optimal dose appears to be four to six grams a day."
Approximately 60 percent of U.S. adults are prehypertensive or hypertensive. Prehypertension is characterized by systolic blood
pressure readings of 120-139 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) over diastolic pressure of 80-89 mm Hg. "Systolic" refers to the blood
pressure when the heart is contracting. By definition... "Diastolic" reflects the blood pressure when the heart is in a period of
relaxationand expansion.
Journal Reference:
"Effects of Watermelon Supplementation on Aortic Blood Pressure
and Wave Reflection in Individuals With Pre-hypertension:
A Pilot Study" American Journal of Hypertension, 2010
