The health benefits of watermelon are endless!
Watermelon means summer, and not without reason!
It is refreshing and sweet and helps to cope with the high summer temperatures.
At the same time, it helps with many health problems and weight loss, but it is also a natural Viagra for libido.
Watermelon is a favorite summer fruit and perfectly nutritious food!
It consists of 91% water and about 6% sugar while also offering high vitamins, minerals, and essential antioxidant elements content.
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It appeared in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and its history dates back 5000 years to southern Africa. At that time, the drought-tolerant ancestor of watermelon thrived.
In the 10th century AD, it was cultivated in China, and in the 13th century, it subsequently appeared in Europe!
Farmers plant watermelon in Spring; it needs heat, sun, a dry atmosphere, and moist soil.
Watermelon’s season starts in June and lasts almost until October.
World Watermelon Day is on August 3; its best months are July and August because they are the sweetest. (1)
It is perhaps the only fruit very strongly associated with summer. Its aroma and cooling taste are the stars of every summer, evoking sweet memories from our childhood.
But did you know that watermelon has nothing to envy from other known superfoods?
The 10 best health benefits of watermelon
In today’s article, you will discover why watermelon is an essential fruit for our health and how it can help with multiple issues.
These include asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disorders, and cancer. You will get to know in which ways you can enjoy it and at what temperature it keeps all its nutrients.
In addition, you will discover how many calories and vitamins it contains, how it helps with weight and fat loss, dry skin, and the growth of body tissues such as hair.
Multiple studies consider watermelon a natural Viagra!
Let’s see in detail what watermelon’s nutrients and best benefits are.
#1 It contains a multitude of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
One cup, approx 150 grams, of watermelon contains only 46 calories.
It contains vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that significantly protect our health. (2)
One cup of watermelon contains 21% of the daily recommended amount (RDA) of vitamin C and 18% of vitamin A. It also includes 5% potassium, (3) 4% magnesium, and vitamins B1, B5, and B6.
Watermelon also contains fiber, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, folate, manganese, selenium, lycopene, arginine, carotenoids, and citrulline.
#2 It helps with kidney disorders
It is an excellent food for kidney disorders, thanks to watermelon’s high amounts of potassium. (4)
It helps to detoxify the body quickly while removing dangerous toxins.
Watermelon contributes to proper kidney function, helping to prevent and treat gout. It helps to reduce or remove high uric acid, resulting in reduced likelihood of a kidney disorder or damage. (5)
#3 Watermelon helps in the proper functioning of the heart
Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide! (6)
This is due to today’s lifestyle, diet, stress, and air pollution.
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Many nutrients found in watermelon can help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. These ingredients lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, offering specific benefits for heart health. (7)
Studies show that the lycopene in watermelon can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps prevent oxidative damage to cholesterol while improving artery function. (8)
Watermelon also contains citrulline, an amino acid that can increase nitric oxide levels in the body. These levels help blood vessels to expand, simultaneously reducing blood pressure. (9)
#4 It prevents and helps reduce asthma
Many experts believe that free radicals contribute to asthma development.
But certain antioxidants that help the lungs, including vitamin C, may reduce this developing asthma risk. (10)
The multitude of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamin C that watermelon contains show they can help prevent and reduce asthma symptoms.
#5 Watermelon helps in weight and fat loss
It maybe gives the feeling that it contains a lot of sugar, so you are always restrained in its consumption.
However, our favorite watermelon contains citrulline amino acids, which the body’s enzymes can convert into arginine. (11)
The arginine conversion, the diuretic effect, and the significant body detoxification that watermelon enables help to reduce fat accumulation in the body cells while simultaneously reducing weight.
#6 It helps prevent cancer (one of the most vital health benefits of watermelon)
The U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) notes that free radicals can play an essential role in developing certain types of cancer. (12)
The oxidative stress they cause can easily damage cell DNA.
Researchers studied lycopene’s effects on health and disease prevention or treatment. They found that the significant levels of lycopene in abundance in watermelon help prevent cancer by fighting free radicals. (13)
Also, lycopene reduces cancer risk, especially in the breast, intestine, lungs, and prostate. (14)
#7 It is similar to the well-known pill “Viagra.”
According to the researchers, arginine can also dilate blood vessels.
It simultaneously enhances the nitric acid that calms them, increasing the libido. (15)
The researchers stress, though, that watermelon cannot replace Viagra therapy. However, they found the same effect on the natural treatment of erectile dysfunction.
They even noted the excellent improvement caused by nitric oxide, which significantly helps erection. (16)
#8 It helps in the body tissues growth
Something significant is that watermelon contains the nutrient vitamin A.
This vitamin is needed to produce sebum, a natural oil for our skin. Sebum keeps our hair and skin hydrated while preventing dry skin. (17)
Vitamin A in watermelon is necessary for the development of all body tissues.
Adequate vitamin C intake is also necessary for constructing and maintaining collagen in our bodies. This action may also reduce or delay the aging signs. (18)
#9 Watermelon helps reduce high blood pressure
A 2012 study was published on middle-aged volunteers with obesity and early hypertension. Researchers found that watermelon extract drastically reduced blood pressure in their ankles. (19)
Lycopene, which, as I mentioned, is an essential antioxidant in watermelon, can also help reduce inflammation and boost “good” cholesterol (HDL).
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Plant compounds called phytosterols can also help manage “bad” cholesterol (LDL).
They even contribute to preventing high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. (20)
#10 It helps in the proper brain function
Choline is another antioxidant that watermelon contains and contributes to many brain functions and activities. (21)
Choline may help prevent and slow the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It also helps with good muscle movement, learning, and memory while supporting a healthy cell structure. (22)
At the same time, it enhances the transmission of nerve impulses and the early development of the brain.
Health benefits of watermelon & how we can eat it
There are many ways to eat watermelon and add it to our daily routine during the summer months.
We can add it to fruit salad, granita, make it a spoon dessert, jam, ice cubes, smoothie, or ice cream.
We can, of course, enjoy it exactly as it is!
But except for watermelon’s health benefits, what is the best temperature to eat it?
Research carried out in the U.S. showed that frozen watermelon, even if it offers a pleasant source of coolness, is much less nutritious than its counterpart consumed at room temperature. (23)
This research stored different watermelon varieties for two weeks at the temperatures 21, 13, and 5°C.
After examining their nutrients, it showed that those stored at 21°C contained 40% more lycopene and 140% more beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A.
It also shows that watermelon continues to produce nutrients even after harvesting.
However, more intense cooling slows down the process or reduces their nutrients.
As such, watermelon is genuinely a nutritional treasure!
It is a vital fruit for the detoxification of the body. In addition, it helps in losing weight, the good functioning of the body organs, and our whole body.
However, ask your doctor before consuming watermelon regularly, especially if you have any health issues or take medication.
Did you know about the above health benefits of watermelon?
Did you know about the best health benefits of watermelon and how important it is for our body and health, and how much it can help prevent or improve various health problems?
Please leave your comments below!
I wish you a good rest of the summer, and always be well! 🙂
Thank you for reading. Glad it helped! Have a beautiful weekend! 🙂