Statistics show that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading causes of death in the United States. In general, Americans are more worried about their blood cholesterol levels and the amount of cholesterol in their food rather than in the overall health risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease, such as vascular dysfunction which is characterized by hardening and blocking of the arteries. According to a recent study, these health risk factors can be alleviated the natural way simply by eating foods like watermelon.

Most people wouldn’t really think much of the simple watermelon. Maybe because of the fact that it is all too common, and too available, that its presence is taken for granted.  But there is more to watermelon than what we know of.  It is everything that one could ever hope for in a fruit – sweet, thirst-quenching, high in fiber and rich in nutrients.  The list does not end there though.  A recent study from the Florida State University revealed evidence that watermelon can be an effective natural cure for high blood pressure, a condition which can herald the beginning of cardiovascular diseases.

A Study on Watermelon and its Effects on Blood Pressure

The pilot study, headed and supervised by Professors Arturo Figueroa and Bahram H. Arjmandi from the Florida State University, involved nine hypertensive subjects composed of five women (who are postmenopausal ) and four men.  The subjects were all in the age range of 51-57 years.  Daily, for a period of six weeks, all nine subjects were administered with 6 grams of L-citrulline/L-arginine, an amino acid found in watermelon extract.  Results of the study yielded good news:  the subjects had lower blood pressure and exhibited improved arterial function.

Professor Figueroa claimed that their team was the first to document improved aortic blood flow by the administration of therapeutic doses of watermelon to the group – healthy middle-aged men and women, but were nonetheless considered to be pre-hypertensive.  The study suggests that watermelon prevents pre-hypertension into becoming a full blown hypertension through its action of dilating the blood vessels, making blood flow easier within the circulatory system.  It should be remembered that chronically high blood pressure, or hypertension, is the biggest risk factor that could ultimately lead to heart attack and stroke.  Because of the overwhelming findings of their recent study regarding the watermelon and its effects on high blood pressure, Professors Figueroa and Arjmandi are eager to conduct and pursue more studies, this time with a larger number of subjects.

How Watermelon Helps

According to Prof. Figueroa, watermelon is the best known natural source of L-citrulline, an amino acid directly related to L-arginine which is required in the formation of nitric oxide, and important substance which helps regulate blood pressure and vascular tone.  However, L-arginine cannot be taken directly as a food supplement for adults with high blood pressure because it causes stomach upset, nausea and diarrhea.  This is the reason why L-citrulline is important – because once taken, it is transformed into L-arginine inside the body.

However, watermelon is accepted well by hypertensive adults.  Participants of the FSU study did not report any negative effects associated with their consumption of watermelon.  Aside from its ability to provide vascular benefits, L-citrulline in watermelon has the following added health benefits:

• It is a good source of vitamins A, B6 and C
• It is rich in potassium and fiber
• It contains lycopene, a strong antioxidant.
• It helps in reducing blood glucose levels.
• It might lead to a reduction in the dosage of anti-hypertensive drugs used to lower blood pressure.
• It prevents the progression of pre-hypertension to hypertension

L-citrulline as a Food Supplement

Even though watermelon or its extract is the best natural source of L-citrulline, it is also available as a food supplement, which FSU researchers used in a study on male subjects who are younger than the participants of their pilot study. The study showed that four weeks of taking L-citrulline food supplement slowed the increase in blood pressure in response to cold exposure. This was a very important finding since there is greater occurrence of cardiac arrests during the cold season.

Those with chronic diseases such as type 1diabetes with arterial stiffness and high blood pressure will benefit from regular intake of L-citrulline, whether as a fruit in watermelon or as a food supplement. The prescribed dosage would be four to six grams a day.

Ways to Promote Healthy Blood Pressure

Most people would readily resort to taking anti-hypertensive pharmaceutical drugs to help deal with an increased blood pressure.  These, however, may bring about unwanted side effects, depending on the type of anti-hypertensive drug that one is taking.  Some of the side effects would include dizziness, palpitations, fatigue, fluid retention, headache and sexual dysfunction.  The good news is that, all of these may be prevented, if only you take the necessary steps to keeping your blood pressure at bay - and you wouldn’t need drugs for that. Choose to go natural:

Watch your waistline and lose extra pounds

Being heavy around the waist can put you at a greater risk for hypertension. As your weight increases, so does your blood pressure. As a whole, the leaner you are, the lower is your blood pressure. Consult your doctor for your ideal weight and how to achieve it.

Indulge in regular exercise

Set aside 30 to 60 minutes daily for exercise.  This can help lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm of mercury. If you are already hypertensive (systolic pressure between 120 and 139 and diastolic pressure of 80-89) regular exercise can lower your blood pressure to a safer level preventing a full-blown hypertension.

Go for a healthy diet

Go for the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, a diet that is rich in grains, vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products and avoid saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure up to 14 mm Hg. Here are tips on how to have a healthy diet;

• • Maintain a food diary - Writing down your food intake, even for just a week can give surprising information of your real eating habits. Closely monitor your food intake, what, how much and why.
  • Have more potassium - Potassium can decrease the impact of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is from food, rather than food supplements. Consult your physician about the potassium level suited for you.
  • Give yourself a break – DASH diet should be a lifelong eating principle, but it doesn’t mean you stop eating the foods you love. It’s alright to give yourself some slack from time to time and eat foods that are not on your DASH menu, like chocolates or spaghetti with meatballs.

Limit your alcohol intake

Studies show that alcohol, when taken in small amounts, can lower high blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. However, alcohol when taken too much will be harmful than beneficial. Beneficial alcohol intake would be 1 glass for women and 2 for men. If you don’t drink alcohol, then don’t start now just to lower your high blood pressure. This may just do harm more harm than good.

Stop Smoking

Nicotine is the culprit.  It causes blood vessels to narrow, thus making blood flow difficult. It also causes the heart rate to go up which increases blood pressure. It is best to stop as early as possible, than to continue the habit and suffer the consequences of your action.

Sources
newswise.com
nhlbi.nih.gov
merck.com
familydoctor.org