Watermelon is a sweet and refreshing low calorie summer snack. It provides hydration and also essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.


Along with cantaloupe, honeydew, and cucumber, watermelons are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family.

There are five common types of watermelon: seeded, seedless, mini, yellow, and orange.

In this article, learn more about the possible health benefits and nutritional content of watermelon, some tips for serving it, and who should limit it.

Benefits





Watermelon is around 90% water, which makes it useful for staying hydrated in the summer. It can also satisfy a sweet tooth with its natural sugars.

Watermelon also contains antioxidants. These substances can help remove molecules known as free radicals, or reactive species, from the body. The body produces free radicals during natural processes, such as metabolism. They can also develop through smoking, air pollution, stress, and other environmental pressures.

If too many free radicals stay in the body, oxidative stress can occur. This can result in cell damage and may lead to a range of diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.

The body can remove some free radicals naturally, but dietary antioxidants support this process.

Below are some of the ways antioxidants and other nutrients in watermelon may help protect a person’s health.


Blood pressure

In a 2012 study, researchers found that watermelon extract reduced blood pressure in and around the ankles of middle-aged people with obesity and early hypertension. The authors suggested that L-citrulline and L-arginine — two of the antioxidants in watermelon — may improve the function of the arteries.

Lycopene — another antioxidant in watermelon — may help protect against heart disease. A 2017 review suggested that it might do this by reducing inflammation linked with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol.

Phytosterols are plant compounds that may help manage low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. Some guidelines recommend consuming 2 grams (g) of phytosterols each day. 154 g of watermelon balls provides a small amount, at 3.08 mg.

Reducing LDL cholesterol may help prevent high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the precise impact of phytosterols on CVD remains unclear.

Brain and nervous system

Choline is another antioxidant that occurs in watermelon.

It contributes to the following functions and activities:

-muscle movement
-learning and memory
-maintaining the structure of cell membranes
-the transmission of nerve impulses
-early brain development