Is Watermelon A Natural Viagra?

Researcher Says Popular Summer Fruit May Have Viagra-Like Effect On Blood Vessels

(WebMD)  Men hoping for some fireworks in their love life this Fourth of July may want to skip the burgers and beer at the barbecue and eat plenty of
watermelon.

Watermelon may be a natural Viagra, says a researcher. That's because the popular summer fruit is richer than experts believed in an amino acid called citrulline, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels much like Viagra and other drugs meant to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).

"We have known that watermelon has citrulline," says Bhimu Patil, PHD, director of the Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center at Texas A&M University, College Station. Until recently, he tells WebMD, scientists thought most of the citrulline was in the watermelon rind. "Watermelon has more citrulline in the edible part than previously believed," he says.

How could watermelon be a natural Viagra? The amino acid citrulline is converted into the amino acid arginine, Patil says. "This is a precursor for nitric oxide, and the nitric oxide will help in blood vessel dilation."

So, the burning question: How much watermelon does it take?

"That is a good question," Patil says. Unfortunately, "I don't have an answer for that."

He does know that a typical 4-ounce serving of watermelon (about 10 watermelon balls) has about 150 milligrams of citrulline. But he can't say how much citrulline is needed to have Viagra-like effects.

He's hopeful that someone will pick up on his research and study the fruit's effect on penile erections.

Watermelon's Viagra-Like Effects

On hearing about the Texas finding, Irwin Goldstein, MD, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, was underwhelmed. Suggesting a man feast on watermelon to boost performance, he says, "would be the equivalent of someone dropping a beer bottle in Minneapolis, where the Mississippi River starts, and hoping to see it make an impact on someone in New Orleans."

"To say that watermelon is Viagra-like is sort of fun," says Goldstein. "But to even vaguely hope that eating watermelon will alleviate ED is misleading."

"The vast majority of Americans produce enough arginine," adds Goldstein, medical director of Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego, and clinical professor of surgery, University of California San Diego School of Medicine. "Men with ED are not deficient in arginine."

Though arginine is required to make nitric oxide, and nitric oxide is required to dilate blood vessels and have an erection, "that doesn't mean eating something that is rich in citrulline will make enough arginine that it will lead to better penile erections," Goldstein says.

Goldstein has served as a consultant for many companies that make ED drugs.

Calling watermelon a natural Viagra is "clearly premature," says Roger Clemens, DrPH, adjunct professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists.

Clemens studied the amino acid arginine himself, researching a supplement to improve vascular flow for patients with hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. He has since abandoned that line of research, he says.

It can require a lot of watermelon to boost blood levels of arginine, he adds. In a study published in 2007 in Nutrition, he says, volunteers who drank three 8-ounce glasses of watermelon juice daily for three weeks boosted their arginine levels by 11%.

Watermelon is low in calories and provides potassium and the phytonutrients lycopene and beta-carotene, in addition to the citrulline.

Clemens' advice on watermelon and the Fourth of July? "Put salt on it and enjoy."

Just don't expect fireworks anywhere but in the sky.

[bdrlnt4rl]

I hope they sell watermelon year round! Have to go to the store now. bye

[faith_in_w]

bdrlnt4rl, they are usually sold out of watermelon in certain areas of your town because its very popular there.

[erasmus81]

"Put salt on it and enjoy."

SALT on watermelon? Yikes!

[pensacola88]

Lots of young men reported they wanted to empty their bladders after eating watermelons, but had to first tame their unexpected erections. Those young men''s fathers were drinking cold beer and watermelon and had no problems emptying their bladders. The fathers concluded that their sons were just experiencing pubescant reactions to the sight of young girls at the party.

[erasmus81]

"Lots of young men reported they wanted to empty their bladders after eating watermelons..." Posted by Pensacola88 at 11:48 AM : Jul 02, 2008

I think watermelon is a natural diaretic.(SP?)

[texanforlogi]

SALT on watermelon? Yikes!




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by erasmus81 at 11:37 AM : Jul 02, 2008

YES!!! Salt on watermelon is the best. (Salt and pepper on canteloupe)

Bring on the rocket''s red glare!

[hypnotoad72]

Pop a watermeleon before ***. Doesn''''t it give you gas also?

Posted by sillywilly4
-----------------------

Only if rear-entry is going to be practiced does anyone really want to ask that question... who''d want to rear-entry anyway? That''s gross.

[drputt45]

Reminds me of growing up in Missouri. Used to have those "watermelon roasts" out in the woods. Build a big fire, throw on a melon and watch it swell up until it burst, then everyone would pair up, go out in the woods, and get a piece.

AH, the good ol days.

[erasmus81]

"Reminds me of growing up in Missouri. Used to have those "watermelon roasts" out in the woods. Build a big fire, throw on a melon and watch it swell up until it burst, then everyone would pair up, go out in the woods, and get a piece."

AH, the good ol days. Posted by drputt45 at 12:58 PM : Jul 02, 2008


And I was thinkin'', REALLY?
I am a bit slow sometimes, but I finally got it.:)

[frankie2fing]

Only question I have: Will it work on my wife?!?

[elkc]

Is a yellow meat watermelon better than the red? Should you eat the Rhine so you have something hard to work with? Sounds like the watermelon farmers have too much on hand going in to the Fourth of July. Perhaps this is nothing more than a marketing ploy to sell melons. We''ve had watermelon three nights in a row following dinner, and all I have is a hard time falling to sleep.

[Syndicate]

Run two miles. You''ll be ready to go when your done.

[extremophil]

OK, I''ll try it. But it''s gonna take a big glass of water to get a whole watermelon down.

[nssherlock1]

Just add an RC Cola and a Moonpie. lol

[rushman71]

So, the burning question: How much watermelon does it take?
"That is a good question," Patil says. Unfortunately, "I don''t have an answer for that."

Eat the whole danm melon if you have to. Eat until your belly bulges, and your member rises!!!

[rushman71]

Next thing you know, men will be brawling at the supermarket over some nice, big melons!!!

[frootloop47]

True story..at least it was in the news (not FOX) a long time ago.

This guy got arrested, butt naked in this watermelon patch. According to police he was exactly having *** with a watermelon.

[kenhamlett]

"Next thing you know, men will be brawling at the supermarket over some nice, big melons"

Actually I think we will brawl anywhere over melons.
The questions that come to mind are:
1. If we eat the seeds will we be more fertile also?
2. Why not just eat the rind and throw away the rest?
3. Are athletes now going to be stuffing melon before the big event? Oh I guess that applies to everyone else''s more important big event also.
4. Has the news world really gotten so desperate for something to say that they will seize on this story? I could point out world shaking events all day long that beat this.

[frootloop47]

. Has the news world really gotten so desperate for something to say that they will seize on this story? I could point out world shaking events all day long that beat this.
Posted by kenhamlett
----------------------------------------------------
Hey Watermelons...Obama getting a great deal on a home loan....big news day! ;-)

[guad07rg]

Its Bushes fault ...this is the CBS site right???

[dmotte]

I ate 4 slices of watermelon last night and I''ve had a boner since then. Forget calling the doctors after a 4 hour boner, bring on the ho''s.

[johnpatrick9]

At least this is one thing that nincompoop bush did not mess up...come quickly November to rid us of this pox on the nation...meanwhile I''m going to eat a whole lot of watermelon..well not too much as I DON''T REALLY NEED THE HELP.

[sjw1253]

To those who complain about stories like this...

Gee... I think there are many serious stories on the news site... and yet... you decided to click on this story...

I think you feel embarrassed for enjoying a nice little story that actually is actually news worthy as it describes some of the active ingredients in a very commonly eaten fruit/vegetable.

Lighten up!!! It is okay to read stories like this in addition to the other more serious stories (that is... if you really are interested in those stories...) Did you actually click on any of the links for the stories you say should be represented???

You really make yourself appear pretty stupid when you make comments like that... After all... if it did not interest you ... why did you click on it and read it???

[missingamerica]

I begin to understand the reference to a pregnant woman that goes "She swallowed a watermelon seed.".

[gopack443]

SO THAT''S WHY SHE KEEPS TRYING TO GET ME TO EAT WATERMELLON!

[option-allie]

I knew the brothers had a secret..........

[alphaa10-2009]

This is an awful joke, courtesy health writer Kathleen Doheny.

It is also a complete misallocation of space avaiable for worthier stories.

Perhaps Doheny thought it might pump up her futures in the watermelon market.

[madeupnews]

The farmer''s daughter down the road was sitting on her porch in her "Daisy Dukes" and tube top eating a watermelon. The juice was dripping down into her cleavage. It did have an unusual effect on me!

[standncount]

So, do you obtain the same effect when the melon is spiked with vodka or is it counter-productive?

[standncount]

oh man! I just thought of something??? People!!! Don''t let your kids eat watermelon this 4th of July!! They''ll be bangin'' more than firecrackers!!

[oneamerican-]

Spit out the seeds, liberals - or else you''ll get pregnant.

[nssherlock1]

Now all I need is a watermelon and Christie Brinkley!

[neobrian-2009]

Typical Shrubbie
Spit out the seeds, liberals - or else you''''ll get pregnant.

Posted by OneAmericanzero- at 07:04 PM : Jul 02, 2008
Recons Swallow! Ask Shrub

[pete_in_az]

this story is stupid.

[adfolder]

This explains alot!!!

[rushlimpdrug]

I just don''t know about going out
and having the date ask, "So when
are we gonna eat that watermelon in the
back seat?"

[closethippy1]

Mark Twain once said about Adam and Eve eating the apple in Genesis: "If it had been a watermelon it would have been worth it." I don''''t know why but I know plenty of people who ruin perfectly sweet and wonderful watermelons by putting salt on them. What''''s next? Ketchup?
Posted by fsw3 at 04:57 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Try it with cheese. Shred the cheese, preferably feta cheese, and sprinkle it on cut watermelon.
Out of this world.

[sidvicious76]

I''m a pamagranit fan, meself. Course, me peckkker ain''t much to speak of.

[l8c6]

On hearing about the Texas finding, Irwin Goldstein, MD, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, was underwhelmed.----------

Of course, Goldstein is most likely closely tied with the private profit special interest pharmaceuticals.

[mom_o_truth]

Oh''you vergin Watermelon so juicy and moist come and enjoy my knife. I need no Viagra to open you.
Just food for thoughts on a summer night.

[o2bewealthy]

Thanks for the chuckles!

[parentov2]

I don''t know how much watermelons help, but my parents swear by oatmeal. They have 10 kids, so something worked atleast.

[oneworldusa]

-This story proudly brought to you by none other than the Watermelon Council of America.

[whiskyrocker]

Has anyone seen the price of watermelon lately? I''ll stick with the blue pill it''s cheaper.

[prairiefox1]

FROM SEEING HOLES CUT IN WATERMELONS IN SOUTH ALABAMA I MIGHT VENTURE TO SAY,, COULD BE!

[kennedy7955]

Watermelon the new natural Viagra. Brought to you by the Watermelon Growers Association who remind you to only eat American Watermelon. And by the FDA which if these claims are proven, will require a doctors prescription to eat watermelon.

[kennedy7955]

Side effects may occur. Don''t take watermelon if you take nitrates, as this may cause a sudden, unsafe drop in blood pressure. Discuss your health status with your attorney to ensure that you are wealthy enough to eat watermelon. If you experience chest pain, nausea, or any discomforts during ***, seek legal opinion. In the rare event of an erection lasting more than 4 hours, seek legal advice to avoid long-term financial difficulty. If you are older than 65,have liver or kidney problems, your lawyer may start you at the lowest serving of watermelon. If you are taking protease inhibitors, your attorney under his doctor''s advice may limit your intake of watermelon. In rare instances, men eating watermelon reported a sudden decrease or loss of vision. It is not possible to determine whether these events are related directly to watermelon but a jury will decide. If you experience sudden decrease or loss of vision, stop eating watermelon and call an attorney. Sudden decrease or loss of hearing has been rarely reported in people eating watermelon but a jury will decide. It is not possible to determine whether these events are related directly to the watermelon or to other factors but again a jury will decide.

[kennedy7955]

If you experience sudden decrease or loss of hearing, stop eating watermelon and contact a lawyer right away. If you have prostate problems or high blood pressure, your attorney may send you to his doctor. Watermelon does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, but if you do contract a disease after eating watermelon, call an attorney right away.

[rushlimpdrug]

Ok, I read this yeasterday and tried it last night.

My findings:

A condom fits better.

[kowtipper]

Birth control method #32,451...place a condom over the watermelon...