What are the health benefits of watermelon juice? What are some of the watermelon juice recipes?
Watermelon juice can improve heart health because it has many nutrients that have specific benefits for your heart. These include lycopene, citrulline, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.
Some people cut the watermelon into small pieces and eat the red flesh, but others like drinking the juice so they make watermelon juice using a juice-making machine like this Magimix Juice Expert 3 I found on Amazon.
There are so many watermelon juice recipes including a watermelon cocktail or adding the watermelon juice to your delicious healthy smoothies. My wife makes her healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies using the Vitamix Ascent A2500 Blender and they taste like heaven.
Health benefits of watermelon juice:
Health benefits of watermelon juice include:
- Watermelon juice helps hydrate your body.
- Watermelon juice contains various nutrients and healthy plant compounds.
- Watermelon juice may prevent cancer.
- Watermelon juice may improve heart health.
- Watermelon juice may lower inflammation and oxidative stress.
- Watermelon juice may help prevent macular degeneration.
- Watermelon juice may help relieve muscle soreness.
- Watermelon juice is good for skin and hair.
- Watermelon juice improves digestion.
Lycopene in watermelon juice improves heart health:
Watermelon juice is a rich source of lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid antioxidant. A carotenoid is any member of the class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, for example, carotene. An antioxidant is a chemical substance that prevents cells from being damaged by free radicals. It neutralizes the free radicals thereby preventing you from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, aging, and heart diseases.
Lycopene is a naturally occurring chemical that gives the yellow, orange or red color to fruits and vegetables. It is found in tomatoes, watermelons, red oranges, pink grapes, apricots, rosehips, guavas, cooked sweet red pepper, and papaya.
Health benefits of lycopene include:
- Lycopene improves heart health.
- Lycopene may protect you against certain types of cancer.
- Lycopene may protect against sunburn.
- Lycopene may help your eyesight.
- Lycopene may reduce pain.
- Lycopene may protect your brain.
- Lycopene may reduce pain.
- Lycopene may contribute to stronger bones.
Lycopene in watermelon juice is directly available for use by your body just after drinking it. Recent studies have proven that lycopene lowers blood pressure and cholesterol thereby helping in preventing you from having cardiovascular diseases.
Arturo Figueroa and colleagues, 2013, investigated the effects of watermelon on the stiffness of arteries. They found out that watermelon reduces the stiffness of arterial walls.
Recent investigations on the effects of high blood levels of carotenoids on early atherosclerosis have shown that high blood levels of carotenoids may be protective against early atherosclerosis.
Besides getting lycopene from watermelon juice, some people take lycopene supplements like these I found on Amazon.
If you are taking any medications, for example, blood thinners, or blood pressure-lowering medications, please avoid these supplements. Please, always consult your doctor before taking lycopene supplements if you are pregnant and if you are on any medication.
Citrulline in watermelon juice promotes heart health:
Watermelon juice is a naturally rich source of citrulline. Citrulline is a nonessential amino acid. Nonessential amino acids include alanine, citrulline, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.
Nonessential amino acids can be produced in your body, whereas essential amino acids are obtained from food and drinks.
Citrulline is involved in three important metabolic pathways in your body and they are:
- The transformation of ammonia to urea in the liver.
- The production of arginine from glutamine in the gut and kidneys.
- The nitric oxide synthesis
Health benefits of citrulline include:
- Citrulline may improve athletic performance.
- Citrulline improves heart health by widening blood vessels leading to low blood pressure in people with hypertension.
- Citrulline improves erectile dysfunction.
- Citrulline may provide antidepressant effects.
- Citrulline may help those with sickle cell disease.
Some people take citrulline supplements like these ones I found on Amazon.
Your body naturally produces nitric oxide (NO). It is a colourless gas and is one of the main oxides of nitrogen. Enzymes called nitric oxide synthases convert arginine into citrulline, producing nitric oxide in the process.
There are also supplements that increase nitric oxide in your body.
Health benefits of supplements that increase nitric oxide in your body include:
- They help treat erectile dysfunction.
- They decrease muscle soreness.
- They lower blood pressure.
- They boost exercise performance.
- They may help manage type 2 diabetes.
Recent studies on the effects of watermelon consumption on blood levels of arginine in adults have shown that citrulline from watermelon is effectively converted into arginine thereby increasing the blood concentrations of arginine and this is good for heart health.
Vitamin B6 in watermelon juice improves heart health:
One of the vitamins present in watermelon juice that promotes heart health is vitamin B6. It is also known as pyridoxine. It is found in cereals, beans, vegetables, liver, meat, and eggs.
Your body needs vitamin B6 because its active coenzyme form, Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) helps more than 100 enzymes to perform various functions including the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. It also maintains normal levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine can cause heart problems. In addition to this, it supports immune function and brain health.
Health benefits of vitamin B6 include:
- Vitamin B6 may improve mood and reduce signs of depression.
- Vitamin B6 may promote brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
- Vitamin B6 may prevent and treat anemia by helping in the production of hemoglobin.
- Vitamin B6 may be useful in treating symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
- Vitamin B6 may help treat nausea during pregnancy.
- Vitamin B6 may prevent clogged arteries and lower the risk of heart disease.
- Vitamin B6 may help prevent cancer.
- Vitamin B6 may promote eye health and prevent eye disease.
- Vitamin B6 may treat inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Some people get their vitamin B6 from fruits, vegetables, and other sources including watermelon. However, there are those who prefer adding vitamin B6 supplements to their diet like these ones I found on Amazon.
Vitamin A in watermelon juice promotes heart health:
Watermelon juice has got vitamin A. Vitamin A is also known as retinol. Rich dietary sources of vitamin A are cheese, oily fish, fortified low-fat spreads, milk, yogurt, liver, and liver products.
Your body can also convert beta-carotene in your diet into retinol. The main sources of beta-carotene are watermelon, yellow, red, and green (leafy) vegetables, for example, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, and red peppers, and also yellow fruits such as mango, papaya, and apricots.
Health benefits of vitamin A include:
- Vitamin A protects your eyes from night blindness and age-related decline.
- Vitamin A lowers your risk of cancer.
- Vitamin A improves your immune system.
- Vitamin A lowers your risk of acne.
- Vitamin A promotes heart health.
- Vitamin A supports bone health.
- Vitamin A promotes healthy growth and reproduction.
There are also vitamin A supplements. However, it must be noted that consumption of excess amounts of vitamin A may lead to toxic levels.
Conclusion:
In addition to containing lycopene, citrulline, vitamin A, and vitamin B6, watermelon juice also has magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C which improve heart health. Enjoy your watermelon juice every day, but please, never drink too much of it. Too much of anything is dangerous. To know more, read this book, “Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Foods, Drinks, and Exercise“
