By ANI | ANI – Fri 5 Oct, 2012
London,
October 5 (ANI): Researchers including one of Indian origin have
suggested that a daily slice of watermelon could help prevent heart
disease by halting the build-up of 'bad' cholesterol.Scientists who carried out the
study on mice, which were fed a high-fat diet, found that the fruit
halved the rate at which 'bad' low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
accumulated.
LDL is a form of cholesterol that leads to clogged arteries and heart disease.Researchers from Purdue
University in the US also found that eating watermelon regularly helped
to control weight gain and results in fewer fatty deposits inside the
blood vessels.They believe the secret to watermelon's health-boosting properties lies in citrulline, a chemical found in the juice.
The latest study suggests that watermelon juice could help.Researchers fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet but gave one water to drink and the other watermelon juice.
They tracked their health for several months and at the end of the experiment found that the mice given watermelon juice had 50 percent less LDL than those on water despite eating the same diet.
They also weighed an average of 30 percent less, but their blood pressure was no different.
"We didn't see a lowering of
blood pressure. But these other changes are promising," the Daily Mail
quoted research leader Dr Shubin Saha as saying.
"We know that watermelon is good
for health because it contains citrulline. We don't know yet at what
molecular level it's working and that's the next step," he added.
The study has been published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. (ANI)
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