Watermelon lowers blood pressure in overweight individuals under stress or otherwise, a new study finds.
In cold weather and lower temperatures there is added stress on the heart because it has to work harder to pump blood into the aorta. This leads to higher blood pressure. Studies have established that overweight people and those with high blood pressure are at an increased rise of strokes and heart diseases.
Florida State University researchers found that watermelon can act as a solution to this problem. They conducted a 12-week study on 13 middle-aged, obese men and women who also suffered from high blood pressure. To subject these participants to cold temperatures, one of their hands was dipped in 4 degrees Celsius water during which the researchers measured their blood pressure.
The participants were then divided into two groups. One group was given four grams of the amino acid L-citrulline and two grams of L-arginine per day for 6 weeks while the other group was given a placebo. L-citrulline and L-arginine are watermelon extracts. For the next six weeks, the groups switched diets. The participants were told not to take any medication for blood pressure or make any dramatic lifestyle changes during the study period.
At the end of the study researchers noticed that when participants were on the watermelon extract diet, it had a positive impact on aortic blood pressure and other vascular parameters. The participants showed improvements in blood pressure and cardiac stress both at rest and while they were exposed to the cold water.
"That means less overload to the heart, so the heart is going to work easily during a stressful situation such as cold exposure," study author Professor Arturo Figueroa said in a news release.
A previous study found that watermelon juice is very effective in relieving post-exercise muscle soreness. The fruit also improves male erectile function, prevents cardiovascular diseases and pre-hypertension.
The current study was published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
