#1 [url]

Jul 6 08 12:51 PM

Forget health, eat a slice of watermelon instead

*******************
I've always thought watermelon is nothing but sugar-water, but this article my opinion of this fruit, esp. the yellow-fleshed ones . But before we read with much hope, the headline is a cilantro misleading - note the caveat at the end of the article.
*******************


LUBBOCK (Texas) — A slice of cool, fresh watermelon has effects similar to health, researchers say. Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline, which can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body’s blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes health, said scientists in Texas. The southern state is one of the United States’ top producers of seedless watermelons.

Found in the flesh and rind of the watermelon, citrulline reacts with the body’s enzymes when consumed in large quantities and changes into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart, as well as the circulatory and immune ystems. “Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that health has,” said Mr Bhimu Patil, a researcher and director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and vegetable Improvement Centre.

“Watermelon may not be as organ specific as health, but it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without side effects.” The nitric oxide can also help with angina, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, according to the study. More citrulline — about 60 per cent — is found in watermelon rind than in the flesh, Mr Patil said, but that can vary. But scientists may be able to find ways to boost the concentrations in the flesh, he said.

Citrulline is found in all colours of watermelon, but is highest in the yellow-fleshed types, said Ms Penelope Perkins-Veazie, a researcher at the US Department of Agriculture. She said Mr Patil’s research is valid, but with a caveat: One would need to eat about six cups of watermelon to get enough citrulline to boost the body’s arginine level.” — AP