Watermelon can act like Viagra: Study

Washington: To go with the red, red rose, and red, red wine, roistering rakes and romantics can add some red, red watermelon.
The fleshy fruit of great red pith — tarbooj in Hindi, tormuj in Bengali, indrak in Gujarati and karbuja in Kannada — joins such legendary foods as drumsticks and oysters, artichokes and mussels, not to speak of confections made from rhino horn and tiger penis, as the latest aphrodisiac dangled before mankind.
A team of US researchers led by a scientist of Indian origin says watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body’s blood vessels and may even increase libido.
‘‘The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body,’’ says Dr Bhimangouda ‘‘Bhimu’’ Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station. ‘‘We’ve always known that watermelon is good for you, but the list of its very important healthful benefits grows longer with each study.’’
One such benefit is its effect on libido. Many fruits and vegetables contain nourishing ingredients known as phyto-nutrients — naturally occurring compounds that are bioactive, or able to react with the human body to trigger healthy reactions.

Melon also relaxes blood vessels 

Washington: It seems that watermelons don’t just quench thirst, but also increase libido, says a new study.
The fruit has some nourishing ingredients that effect the libido. These include lycopene — which is typically found in tomatoes; beta carotene; and the rising star among its phyto-nutrients — citrulline, whose beneficial functions include the ability to relax blood vessels, much like Viagra and other impotence drugs do.
Scientists say when watermelon is consumed, citrulline is converted to arginine through certain enzymes. Arginine is an amino acid that helps the heart and circulation system and maintains a good immune system.
‘‘The citrulline-arginine relationship helps heart health, the immune system and may prove to be very helpful for those who suffer from obesity and type-2 diabetes,’’ says Dr Bhimangouda Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station. ‘‘Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels — the same basic effect that Viagra has — to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it.’’
Patil cautions, though, that watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, ‘‘but it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects.’’
There’s also a small catch. Much of the citrulline is found in watermelon’s rind (the white outer part) although scientists think it can be pushed into the fleshy red part with careful breeding. In some   cultures, the rind is eaten as a vegetable.
As an added bonus, the Texas studies have also shown that deep red varieties of watermelon have displaced tomato as the lycopene king. Almost 92% of watermelon is water, but the remaining 8% is packed with lycopene, an anti-oxidant that protects the human heart, and prostate, prevents cancer and enhances skin health.