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Watermelon is one of the favorite fruits of many people in every hot summer. This fruit not only has a sweet and refreshing taste, but also offers certain health benefits because they contain many essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.
1. What is watermelon?
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a large fruit, native to southern Africa, in the same family as cantaloupe, zucchini, pumpkin and cucumber.
Watermelon usually has a cool sweet taste, contains only 46 calories per cup, but is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and other plant compounds like citrulline and lycopene which are good for health. Besides, this type of melon also brings many health benefits to users, including improving insulin sensitivity, reducing muscle soreness and lowering blood pressure.
Watermelon is usually eaten directly, frozen, made into juice or smoothie.
2. Nutritional value of watermelon
The main ingredients in watermelon are water (91%) and carbs (7.5%). On the other hand, watermelon has almost no protein or fat, especially very few calories.
Here are the nutritional facts in 2/3 cup (100 grams) of watermelon, including:
Calories: 30 Water: 91% Protein: 0.6 grams Carbs: 7.6 grams Sugar: 6.2 grams Fiber: 0.4 grams Fat: 0.2 grams
91% thành phần trong dưa hấu là nước
2.1. Carbs One cup of watermelon (152 grams) contains 12 grams of carbs, mostly simple sugars, including fructose, glucose and sucrose. In addition, watermelon also provides very little fiber.
Besides, the glycemic index (GI - a measure of how food affects blood sugar levels after a meal) of watermelon ranges from 72-80, reaching a high level. However, because watermelon contains quite a few carbs, it does not affect blood sugar levels much.
2.2. Fiber In 2/3 cup (100 grams) of watermelon provides only about 0.4 grams of fiber. However, due to the fructose content of watermelon is quite high in FODMAP, aka fermentable short-chain carbohydrates. Therefore, eating large amounts of fructose can cause unpleasant digestive symptoms because the body can't fully digest them, such as bloating, constipation, gas, or diarrhea.
2.3. Vitamins and minerals Watermelon is a fruit that provides many essential vitamins and minerals for the body, such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B5 or potassium.
Vitamin C: makes up a large percentage of watermelon, acts as an antioxidant, helps improve skin health and strengthens the function of the immune system. Vitamin B5: also known as pantothenic acid. This is a water-soluble vitamin, found in many foods such as peanuts, milk, cheese, broccoli, ... This vitamin works to prevent infection, aging, increase resistance, reduce the risk of diseases such as asthma or heart disease. Vitamin A: In watermelon contains beta carotene, when entering the body, it will convert to vitamin A. This vitamin plays an extremely important role in health, including the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract, skin problems, prevent diabetes and cancer.
Chất beta carotene trong dưa hấu sẽ chuyển hóa thành vitamin A
Potassium: helps control blood pressure and protects heart health. Copper: is an important mineral for the body, has the effect of preventing cancer, anti-oxidant and improving the function of the nervous system. 2.5. Other Plant Compounds Although watermelon provides fewer antioxidants than other fruits, it is rich in the amino acids citrulline and lycopene, which are antioxidants that provide many health benefits:
Citrulline: occurs most in the white rind surrounding the watermelon flesh. Citrulline when in the body will be converted into the amino acid arginine. Both of these substances have an important role in the synthesis of nitric oxide, which helps lower blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels in the body. On the other hand, arginine is also essential for several organs such as the kidneys, lungs, liver, immune and reproductive systems. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that gives watermelon its bright red color. In fact, the amount of lycopene in watermelon is much higher than that in tomatoes, so watermelon juices are effective in increasing the blood levels of beta carotene and lycopene.
3. Health Benefits of Watermelon
Because watermelon contains many important nutrients, it can provide certain health benefits. Namely:
3.1. Prevent cancer Researchers have said that lycopene and some other plant compounds in watermelon have great anti-cancer effects.
These substances work strongly, reducing cancer risk by reducing insulin-like growth factor (IGF) - a protein involved in cell division, high IGF levels can cause cancer .
In addition, watermelon also provides a large amount of cucurbitacin E, which has the ability to inhibit the growth of tumors in the body.
Lycopene trong dứa hấu có tác dụng chống ung thư tuyệt vời
3.2. It can be said that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Incorporating watermelon into your daily diet will greatly reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by controlling cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Studies also show that the amount of lycopene in watermelon is effective in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and preventing oxidative damage to cholesterol. For obese people or postmenopausal women, lycopene also has the ability to reduce the stiffness and thickness of coronary artery walls, preventing the risk of heart disease.
3.3. Effectively Reduces Inflammation Inflammation is one of the main contributors to chronic diseases. Eating watermelon regularly can help reduce inflammation and oxidative damage, because they are high in the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory lycopene and vitamin C.
In addition, lycopene offers many special benefits. for brain health, such as delaying the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
3.4. Prevents macular degeneration Lycopene is also found in certain parts of the eye, helping to fight oxidative damage and inflammation. It also helps prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common eye problem that can cause blindness in older adults.
Lycopene trong dưa hấu có tác dụng ngăn ngừa thoái hóa điểm vàng
3.5. Relieve Muscle Soreness Citrulline is an amino acid in watermelon, which can effectively relieve muscle soreness. Using watermelon juice will help the body enhance the ability to absorb citrulline more.
3.6. Improves Skin and Hair Health The two types of vitamins A and C found in watermelon play an extremely important role in skin and hair health. Vitamin C helps the body make collagen, which is a protein that keeps skin smooth, firm and elastic, and helps your hair stay strong and shiny.
Vitamin A is also essential for healthy skin as it helps regenerate and heal damaged skin cells. If the body does not have enough vitamin A, the skin will become dry and flaky. In addition, watermelon contains both lycopene and beta-carotene which can also help protect your skin from sunburn.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system nationwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.
Articles refer to the source: healthline.com
