Watermelon Can Help Fight Pre-Hypertension

Watermelon is not only sweet, juicy and low in calories: The tasty treat contains substances that may fight against pre-hypertension, which can lead to heart disease.

Watermelon is a rich natural source of L-citrulline, an amino acid (a building block of protein) that the body converts to L-arginine, an amino acid that helps regulate vascular tone. Food scientists at Florida State University wanted to see whether the amino acid in watermelon could help dilate blood vessels, so researchers gave nine pre-hypertensive adults a medicinal amount of the amino acid from watermelon extract. At the end of the experiment, the volunteers’ blood pressure readings had improved—and with no messy seeds to spit out.