When you eat a watermelon, you typically think about its juicy, pink flesh. But did you know that the rind of this fruit is also packed with nutrients and has a few medical uses? Find out about the various health benefits of watermelon in this detailed blog post.
Health Benefits Of Watermelon
When you eat a watermelon, you’re literally taking in a healthy serving of fruit and some vital nutrients. On its own, the fruit is a rich source of vitamins A and C, which are both powerful antioxidants. Vitamin C is easily destroyed by oxygen in the air, so eating a watermelon will help to maintain good health by boosting your body’s production of this vital nutrient.
It also provides various minerals that are essential for good health. For example, it contains calcium, which builds strong bones, and potassium, which is required to maintain muscle contraction. In addition, watermelon seeds are a good source of iron, which is vital for female blood circulation and reproduction as well as for the production of blood cells. Watermelon is also a good source of magnesium, which helps to regulate muscle contraction and nerve functions as well as produce energy.
When you eat a watermelon, you get all of these essential nutrients and compounds in a simple and convenient form. However, there are also some more specific health benefits attributed to this beautiful fruit.
Antioxidant Activity
One of the greatest things about watermelon is its antioxidant activity. This is a broad term that refers to molecules within a substance that can reduce or stop the damage caused by free radicals in the body. These are unstable molecules that can damage human DNA and lead to various diseases. Antioxidants can protect human cells from damage by binding to free radicals and preventing them from doing any further damage.
This is why watermelon is often referred to as the ‘antioxidant fruit’. Eating this fruit can significantly lower your body’s oxidative stress levels, especially if you’re a human being who consumes a lot of unhealthy foods. Studies have shown that people who eat lots of fruits have lower levels of free radicals in their bodies than those who don’t eat as many fruits. In addition, those who eat watermelon have shown to have higher levels of antioxidants in their blood than those who don’t eat this fruit at all.[1]
While it’s great that eating fruits can help to improve your health, not all fruits are made equal. Some have more health benefits than others, and watermelon definitely falls into that category. Because it provides such a broad spectrum of nutrients and compounds, it’s often referred to as a superfruit.
Brain Health
Did you know that watermelon is a good source of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)? This is a protein that helps to stimulate the growth of nerve cells in the brain, specifically in the hippocampus, which is responsible for cognition and memory formation. This suggests that drinking watermelon juice may help to improve your mental faculties as you age, especially if you’re already consuming foods that foster brain health.
In addition to BDNF, watermelon contains various other compounds that foster brain development. For example, it contains folate, which helps to form new brain cells and support their function, and it also contains linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid that is essential for the formation of new nerve cells and supports their function. Omega-6 fatty acids are generally considered to be more beneficial than omega-3 fatty acids, so you can see how watermelon fits nicely into this regard as well.
Heart Health
Did you know that watermelon is a good source of rind polysaccharides? These are complex carbohydrates that help to maintain strong teeth and gums, as well as build strong bones. Because it helps to build healthy teeth and gums, it’s often referred to as the ‘milk thistle fruit’. Even the berries contain valuable compounds that help to maintain heart health.
Watermelon can also help to prevent or reverse cardiovascular disease, according to several studies. One of these studies showed that mice that were fed a high-fat diet and then treated with watermelon rind flour demonstrated lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in comparison to untreated mice on a high-fat diet. Furthermore, their blood samples showed that the activity of an enzyme called paraoxonase, which is involved in preventing cholesterol and triglyceride buildup, was significantly increased in the watermelon rind flour-treated group. These results suggest that watermelon rind flour might be able to improve heart health in humans as well.[2]
Immunity
Did you know that watermelon has been shown to boost the human immune system? According to a study from the University of Alberta, those who ate just one slice of watermelon per day for five days had higher levels of interferon, an important component of the immune system. In addition, the researchers noted that when lymphocytes–white blood cells that fight infection–from the participants in the study were incubated with watermelon, there was an increase in interferon production. This suggests that eating watermelon might help to improve your body’s defence mechanisms, particularly against bacteria and viruses, which could lead to fewer cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other viruses that attack the immune system.
It should be noted that while these studies suggest that watermelon might be able to improve your health, they don’t prove that it does. However, since fruits are generally seen as healthy foods, and watermelon is a relatively new addition to this category, it’s highly likely that it does provide some benefits for human health.
Cancer Prevention
Did you know that watermelon has been shown to suppress the growth of various types of cancer cells? According to studies conducted in Canada and China, watermelons are able to thwart the growth of human breast cancer cells as well as prevent the formation of colorectal tumors in mice. The compounds that make watermelon such a potent anti-cancer agent are neopolysaccharides and a polypeptide, which are both present in the rind of the fruit. These compounds have been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and reduce the risk of various types of cancer in humans and animals alike. These studies suggest that watermelon might be able to prevent or treat various types of cancer, particularly metastatic cancers like breast and colorectal cancer, which are hard to cure but are often fatal due to the progression of the disease.
Reproduction
Did you know that watermelon helps to regulate human reproduction? According to studies, the rind of this fruit is an excellent source of folate, which is vital for reproductive health. While it might not seem obvious, folate is needed for sperm production and the synthesis of new DNA during cell division, as well as for the formation of new blood vessels in the human body, which are key for sexual function and reproduction. It is therefore no wonder that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers folic acid to be an ‘essential nutrient for men and women alike’ that is vital for ‘good reproductive health’ and cell division during pregnancy.[3]
In addition to folate, watermelon also contains a number of compounds that are necessary for reproductive health. For example, it contains citric acid and sodium citrate, as well as amino acids such as glycine and valine that help to form the building blocks of protein. Furthermore, this fruit is an excellent source of vitamin A, which is vital for cell reproduction and vision, and it also provides an antioxidant that helps to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals in the body.
How To Eat Watermelon Safely
Since fruits are generally considered to be healthy foods, it’s obvious that you shouldn’t be eating any that are potentially dangerous. Certain types of fruits contain compounds that can be harmful to human health, and it is therefore advisable to avoid these when possible. It’s also advisable to avoid processed foods, as the manufacturing of these items often involves the use of unhealthy compounds that increase your body’s oxidative stress levels. In addition, you should be careful about how you prepare the fruit, as there are some foods that contain compounds that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as avocados and eggplant.
While there are certainly health benefits to be gained from eating watermelon, you need to be careful about how you eat this fruit. Since it contains nutrients that are vital for human health, it’s best to consume it in its natural form and only in small quantities. In this way, you will avoid any negative effects on your health. In addition, make sure that you wash your fruit carefully before eating to avoid any potential toxins that may be present on the surface. While there are undoubtedly many health advantages to watermelon, it is still a food that needs to be consumed in moderation to avoid any adverse effects on your health.