Watermelon halves bad cholesterol

     A daily serving of watermelon helps combat heart disease by lowering weight and halting the build up of harmful cholesterol.

Studies on mice, fed with a high-fat, diet and the fruit showed that it halved the formation of artery-clogging LDL (low-density lipoprotein or ‘bad’ cholesterol). Watermelon’s health boosting properties are found in citrulline, a chemical compound found in the juice. For the study, two groups of mice were fed diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol but one group was given water containing2% watermelon juice.

The mice who had watermelon juice gained about 30% less weight than the control group. Their LDL cholesterol and plaque  deposited in their arteries also halved, reports the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

Thanks,

The Hindu- Wellness,

07/10/2012