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IS WATERMELON NATURAL VIAGRA?

By Dr. George V. Roberson/FOR YOUR HEALTH
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:55 AM CDT

Q: I have read that eating watermelon has the same effect as taking Viagra. Can you tell me if there is any truth to that?

A: Researchers at Texas A&M University found that watermelons contain citrulline. This ingredient may react with the body's enzymes and when consumed in large quantities is changed into arginine, an amino acid, which benefits the heart, circulatory, and immune systems. Arginine causes increased nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels and has the same basic effect as Viagra has to treat erectile dysfunction.

While the results of eating watermelon may not be as organ specific as Viagra, when taken in large quantities it may relax blood vessels with minimal or no drug side effects. While nitirc oxide can improve angina “pains in the heart” it is not a substitute for medical treatment.

Citrulline is found in red or yellow fleshed watermelon but the majority of it is contained in the watermelon rind rather than in the flesh. One would have to eat a very large watermelon or possibly several watermelons to get enough citrulline to boost the body's level of arginine. The problem with that is when you eat more watermelon; you tend to spend most of your time in the bathroom. Watermelon is a diuretic and has been used as a treatment for kidney stones by flushing water through the urinary tract.

Citrulline is also present in cucumbers and cantaloupes with the highest concentrations found in walnut seedlings.

It is unlikely that watermelon will become a substitute for Viagra.

Dr. George Roberson is a general, thoracic, vascular surgeon in Pine Bluff and medical director at Jefferson Regional Medical Center. To have a medical related question answered, write to Medical Reviews, P.O. Box 2916, Pine Bluff, Ark. 71611.

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