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Let Fruit Be Your Medicine: Watermelon’s Remarkable Health Benefits

watermelon_health_benefits [1]

by Sayer Ji [1]
GreenMedInfo.com [1]

Watermelon is so much more than just a highly refreshing summertime treat. From the perspective of a growing body of clinical research, it is a truly medicinal food.

Only this month, research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found watermelon juice is an effective remedy for reducing the recovery heart rate and muscle soreness in athletes who were given 500 ml of watermelon juice (16.9 oz) containing 1.17 grams of the naturally occurring amino acid L-citrulline [2].[1] [3]

Additional research indicates watermelon may possess the following health benefits:

So, next time you are in the mood for watermelon, and are concerned about its notorious sugar content, ‘weight-promoting effects,’ and therefore possible diabetogenic and cardiotoxic properties – think again. Quality and moderation are the only things to make sure you are careful about when deciding to consume watermelon. Otherwise, enjoy it (remember Vitamin P(leasure) [19])and know that it may just be as good for you as it tastes.

Read the full article here: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/let-fruit-be-your-medicine-watermelons-remarkable-health-benefits-1 [1]

Sources

[1] [20] Martha Patricia Tarazona-Díaz, Fernando Alacid, María Carrasco, Ignacio Martínez, Encarna Aguayo. Watermelon Juice: A Potential Functional Drink for Sore Muscle Relief in Athletes. [21]J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Jul 17. Epub 2013 Jul 17. PMID: 23862566 [21]

[3] [24] Alison J Edwards, Bryan T Vinyard, Eugene R Wiley, Ellen D Brown, Julie K Collins, Penelope Perkins-Veazie, Robert A Baker, Beverly A Clevidence. Consumption of watermelon juice increases plasma concentrations of lycopene and beta-carotene in humans. [25] J Nutr. 2003 Apr;133(4):1043-50. PMID: 12672916 [25]

[4] [26] Cai-Xia Zhang, Suzanne C Ho, Yu-Ming Chen, Jian-Hua Fu, Shou-Zhen Cheng, Fang-Yu Lin.Greater vegetable and fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer among Chinese women. [27] Int J Cancer. 2009 Jul 1;125(1):181-8. PMID: 19358284 [27]

[5] [28] Arturo Figueroa, Marcos A Sanchez-Gonzalez, Alexei Wong, Bahram H Arjmandi. Watermelon Extract Supplementation Reduces Ankle Blood Pressure and Carotid Augmentation Index in Obese Adults With Prehypertension or Hypertension. [29] Am J Hypertens. 2012 Mar 8. Epub 2012 Mar 8. PMID: 22402472 [29]

[6] [30] Guoyao Wu, Julie K Collins, Penelope Perkins-Veazie, Muhammad Siddiq, Kirk D Dolan, Katherine A Kelly, Cristine L Heaps, Cynthia J Meininger. Dietary supplementation with watermelon pomace juice enhances arginine availability and ameliorates the metabolic syndrome in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. [31] J Nutr. 2007 Dec;137(12):2680-5. PMID: 18029483 [31]

[7] [32] Christensen AS, Viggers L, Hasselström K, Gregersen S. Effect of fruit restriction on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes–a randomized trial. Nutr J. 2013 Mar 5;12:29.

[8] [33] Ali Abas Wani, Dalbir Singh Sogi, Preeti Singh, Idrees Ahmed Wani, Uma S Shivhare.Characterisation and functional properties of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seed proteins. [34] J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2011 Feb;137(2):279-86. Epub 2010 Apr 18. PMID:20824684 [34]