Watermelon: The Fruit with Health Benefits and Unique Eating Habits

As the weather gets hotter, more and more people are looking for cool watermelons. Store in the refrigerator, then take out and eat by slicing or making cold vegetables. You can also put watermelon in a blender with ice and then grind it and drink it as juice.

Ahead of summer in earnest, the US health and medical media ‘Medical News Today’ introduced two papers on watermelon published in the international journal Nutrients. On the one hand, drinking watermelon juice for two weeks improves blood vessel function. Watermelon lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. On the other hand, people who enjoy eating watermelon tend to consume more good nutrients and less bad ones, and as a result, watermelon improves the quality of their diet.

Watermelon has countless health benefits…Prevents prostate cancer, relieves symptoms of cystitis and urethritis, lowers blood pressure

A University of Texas School of Medicine study found that drinking watermelon juice for two weeks protected blood vessel function in people. This means that people who enjoy eating watermelon have a relatively healthier diet. The results were analyzed after having 18 healthy men and women (average age 23 years old, average weight about 66.7 kg) drink 500 ml of watermelon juice or fake watermelon juice every day for 2 weeks.

It was found that those who enjoy eating watermelon consumed 5% more of good nutrients such as dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin A than those who did not. The intake of lycopene and carotenoids was also higher. On the other hand, it was revealed that they consumed 5% less added sugars and saturated fatty acids. Average watermelon consumption per day was 162g for adults and 125g for children. About 98% of the participants consumed raw watermelon and 2% consumed watermelon juice. This is the result of analyzing the data and diets of 56,133 people who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study. The research team said further research is needed to broadly evaluate this association.

Previous studies have shown that glucose in watermelon, which is about 91% water, is well absorbed by the body, and fructose is good for recovering from fatigue. In addition, watermelon’s citrulline (a type of amino acid that occurs in the middle of the metabolic process) component affects the creation of urea. It helps in the passage of water out of the body. It can help lower blood pressure and relieve symptoms of cystitis and urethritis. The antioxidant lycopene helps fight cancer cells. In particular, it lowers the risk of prostate cancer. The potassium in watermelon releases sodium out of the body and relaxes the muscles.

diabetesKidney disease patients should be especially careful about eating watermelon

Dr. John Higgins of the University of Texas Medical School, the lead author of the study, said, “If healthy people eat enough fruits such as citrus fruits in addition to watermelon, there are many health benefits.”

According to the research team, eating various fruits such as watermelon, which is rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, dietary fiber, and water, can improve cardiovascular, brain, and skin functions and reduce the risk of certain cancers (prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, etc.). there is. Fruit is good for digestive health, boosts energy and improves mood.

However, this applies to all healthy people. Watermelon has a high glycemic index (GI) of 70, so diabetics should only taste it slightly. In particular, kidney disease patients who cannot excrete potassium due to poor kidneys should be especially careful about eating watermelon.