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.

[katie448]

<a href="http://www.onlineclinic.co.uk/viagra.html"><b>Viagra</b></a>, an oral therapy for erectile dysfunction, is the citrate salt of Sildenafil, a selective inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). When the sexual stimulation causes local release of Nitric Oxide, inhibition of PDE5 by Sildenafil causes increased level of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum resulting in smooth muscle relaxation and inflow of blood to the corpus cavernosum.

[kowtipper]

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

[rushlimpdrug]

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

My findings:

A condom fits better.

[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.

[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]

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.

[prairiefox1]

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

[whiskyrocker]

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

[oneworldusa]

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

[parentov2]

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

[o2bewealthy]

Thanks for the chuckles!

[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.

[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.

[sidvicious76]

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

[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.

[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?"

[adfolder]

This explains alot!!!

[pete_in_az]

this story is stupid.

[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

[nssherlock1]

Now all I need is a watermelon and Christie Brinkley!