USDA Finds Watermelon a Healthful Treat

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have discovered that the watermelon, long a staple of summertime picnics and barbecues, is also a bountiful source of things that are just flat good for us.

According to the USDA, watermelons contain plentiful amounts of both the health-promoting antioxidant lycopene and the amino acid citrulline. Our bodies, says the USDA, use citrulline to make another important amino acid – arginine -- which plays a key role in cell division, wound healing and the removal of ammonia from the body.

Researchers are hopeful that arginine derived from concentrated forms of watermelon could be developed into treatment for high blood pressure, elevated glucose levels and the vascular complications associated with sickle-cell disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is a Cabinet-level, regulatory agency.

Photo courtesy of USDA, Agricultural Research Service

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