Watermelon is a delicious and refreshing fruit which is also good for you. Watermelons are mostly water about 92% and 8% sugar. It is known as one of the most delicious summertime fruits. Their refreshing quality and sweet taste help in combating the heat. Nothing can be more refreshing and energizing on a hot summer day than a cool, sweet, juicy and crunchy piece of a watermelon. But besides being sweetly fresh, it is also loaded with a good amount of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants proven to have numerous positive effects on the human body and mind. It is also high in vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants, minerals, and amino acids.

Watermelon’s health benefits include managing diabetes, fighting free radicals, support a healthy heart, a good source of energy and water reduces asthma attacks and supports weight loss. Other benefits of it are protecting the function of nerve, eradicating inflammation, helps balance pH level, prevent exhaustion and heat stroke and support digestion.

15 Health Benefits of Watermelons- 

1. Hydrating Benefits

Watermelon is 92% water and is also rich in electrolytes. It helps the body replace fluids and minerals lost through sweating while reducing dehydration risk. Watermelon is a great snack to have on hand during the hot summer months to prevent dehydration and heat stroke. It is an excellent fruit to quench our summer thirst. It also helps you feel full. Watermelon is also effective in reducing both your body temperature and blood pressure. A large quantity of water in watermelons also stimulates a release of excess liquid in the form of sweat, which cools your body further during hot summer days.

2. Improves digestion

Watermelon contains lots of water and a good amount of fiber which are both important for healthy digestion. Water helps in keeping your digestive tract moving efficiently. Eating water and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, including watermelon, can be very helpful for promoting normal bowel movements. Fiber and water are important for healthy digestion. Watermelon helps to prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.

3. Improves heart health

Watermelon has many heart-healthy components, including lycopene, citrulline, and other vitamins and minerals. Lycopene, a carotenoid found in abundance in watermelon, improves cardiac functions and is very effective at protecting cells from damage and may help lower the risk of heart disease, according to a study. Lycopene is also responsible for the pinkish-red hue of watermelons. Lycopene may also reduce the stiffness and thickness of artery walls according to a study. click to read more Lycopene has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels and also to lower blood pressure and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease in people who either take supplements or consume lycopene-rich foods on a regular basis.

Watermelon is also rich in an amino acid called citrulline that may help move blood through our body and can lower our blood pressure. It can also increase nitric oxide levels in our body. Nitric oxide helps our blood vessels expand, which lowers the blood pressure.

4. Contains Antioxidants

Watermelon is a good source of the free radical fighting warriors, specifically in the form of vitamin C and lycopene. Free radicals are the molecules that are missing an electron. To again make themselves complete, they go off in search of an electron to steal from another complete molecule. Antioxidants like vitamin C and lycopene get involved by providing one of their extra electrons to the free radical, thereby neutralizing it and preventing it from causing cellular damage.

Oxidative stress is an unavoidable phenomenon that usually occurs due to imbalances in antioxidants. Because this type of stress is associated with DNA, protein, and membrane damage, it is very important that you eat the right foods and keep your body healthy to avoid all the damage that this can cause. Studies have found that consuming specific fruits and fruit juices, such as watermelon and its juice, can actually reduce the amount of oxidative damage because the antioxidants in those fruits have the power to search the reactive oxidative species and render them harmless.

5. Cancer Prevention

Lycopene has been shown to remarkably reduce the risks of prostate, breast, colon, lung, and endometrial cancer. Researchers have studied that lycopene and other compounds in watermelon are good for their anti-cancer effects. It appears to have reduced cancer risk by lowering insulin-like growth factor (IGF), a protein involved in cell division. High IGF levels are linked to cancer. In addition, cucurbitacin E has been investigated for its ability to inhibit tumor growth. Some specific compounds in watermelon, including cucurbitacin E and lycopene, have been studied for their potential to prevent cancer, though study results are mixed. So between the antioxidant potential of vitamin C and the impact of lycopene, watermelon is a great anti-cancer fruit!

6. Prevents Macular Degeneration

Watermelons are the perfect solution for preventing macular degeneration. Lycopene and vitamin A found in watermelons are two very important compounds for eye health. They help us to maintain good eyesight while providing protection against macular degeneration and other eye-related problems. Due to the beta-carotene, vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin in watermelon, your eyes are also well protected. They ensure the protection of our eyes from age-related blindness and degeneration and prevents our eyes from ailments such as drying up of eyes and optic nerves, as well as glaucoma.

7. Relieves Sore muscles

Both Watermelon and watermelon juice are shown to help relieve muscle soreness and improve recovery time following exercise in athletes. Researchers believe that this is likely due to the amino acid L-citrulline contained in watermelon. Athletes often drink watermelon juice after a good and hard workout. This is because citrulline in watermelon gets converted to L-arginine, an essential amino acid which helps treat post-exercise muscle soreness as well as reduces next day muscle soreness.

8. Protects against Diabetes

On the consumption of watermelon, the kidneys convert one amino acid into another that is L-citrulline to L-arginine. These have a good amount of benefits for the human health and protection against diabetes is one of them. Some studies show that L-arginine supplementation is beneficial in regulating glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Foods that have this compound can be a beneficial part of a diet designed to fight against diabetes. The vitamins and minerals such as potassium and magnesium help in proper functioning of insulin in our body, therefore lowering the blood sugar level. Arginine, another component found in watermelons, is also very effective at enhancing the impact of insulin on blood sugar.

9. Helps balance your pH

The human body regulates itself at a specific 7.4. On a scale of 0-14, the lower the number is, the more acidic it is. It is sometimes that we shift to the acidic one that can keep us feeling off. Watermelon is one of the fruits which is considered as an alkaline food, which helps to neutralize the acidic components in our diets and thereby helping our bodies maintain a proper pH level.

10. Lowers Inflammation

Chronic, systemic inflammation is one of the many of serious diseases that we suffer from today including diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. Because inflammation can have such a drastic effect on the body, it is necessary to take steps to fight it in every possible way. One of the most efficient means of fighting inflammation is through dietary sources. Watermelon contains the amino acids like L-arginine and L-citrulline, the two known powerful anti-inflammatory agents.

Watermelon is a good supply of vitamin C and lycopene. It is also capable of lowering the inflammation and oxidative stress in the human body. Moreover, lycopene also benefits the brain health. It can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Choline – found in watermelon – is a very important nutrient. It helps our body in muscle movement, learning, and memory. It also helps in maintaining the structure of cellular membranes, aids in the transmission of nerve impulses, assists in the absorption of fat, and reduces chronic inflammation.

11. Skin and hair benefits

Watermelon is great for our skin as it contains vitamin A, a nutrient required for sebum production, which keeps hair moisturized. Vitamin A is also good for our skin. It is also required for the growth of all bodily tissues, including skin and hair. It helps keep skin and hair moisturized and also encourages healthy growth of new collagen and elastin cells. Vitamin C is also beneficial in this regard, as it promotes healthy collagen growth, which provides structure to skin and hair. Watermelon contributes to hydration, which is vital for healthy looking skin and hair.

12. Protects nerve function

Watermelon contains a great amount of Potassium that is known for enhancing the nerve function by facilitating messages and electrical impulses passage. One of the main functions of potassium is to regulate the excitability of nerves and muscle tissue. If your body has low potassium, you can feel numbness and there can also be a lack of nerve function. The leg cramps at night time are possibly a result of low potassium in your body. Watermelon is also a natural electrolyte, meaning that it is an important nutrient for our body that needs to be recharged since it sends key impulses that influence our heart, muscles, and nerves.

13. Asthma prevention

Vitamin C is one of the key nutrients in helping prevent asthma. Research indicates that low levels of vitamin C correlate with an increase of asthma attacks, while higher levels of vitamin C are tied to a reduction in symptoms of asthma. People who take a large number of nutrients like vitamin C are less likely to develop asthma, and those who currently suffer from the disease can also eat watermelon as a natural treatment.

14. Improve your mood

Watermelon is a good source of vitamin C and B6. Vitamin B6 helps synthesize neurotransmitters that relax and improve mood, while vitamin C protects the body from free radicals, which can cause issues such as depression. Watermelon also can balance your hormones, which also improves your mood.

15. Helps you lose weight faster

Watermelon is mostly water, combined with good fiber content. This combination fills your stomach and leaves you satisfied longer than any sugary, fat-laden dessert.