Move over Gatorade and Powerade. New
scientific research is extolling the virtues of a novel, natural sports drink: Watermelon
juice.
A study in this month’s American
Chemical Society Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found juice from the traditional
summer fruit effectively relieves exercise-related muscle soreness. The
research, which lends scientific credence to athletes who have long claimed the
juice boosts performance and aids recovery, attributes watermelon's effects to
the amino acid L-citrulline.
Food scientist Encarna Aguayo and
colleagues from the Technical University of Cartagena in Colombia noted past
studies have suggested watermelon juice's antioxidant properties offer the
potential to increase muscle protein and enhance athletic performance.
New findings not only confirm those
claims, but also indicate watermelon juice drinks — enriched in L-citrulline —
are effective in alleviating aches and pains that result from exercise.
To reach their conclusions, Aguayo's
team tested natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched in
L-citrulline, and a sports drink containing no L-citrulline on volunteers an
hour before exercise.
Both the natural juice and the
enriched juice relieved muscle soreness in the volunteers, while the sports
drink without watermelon or the amino acid had no effect. Aquayo noted
L-citrulline in the natural juice (unpasteurized) seemed to be more
"bioavailable" — meaning it is in a form the body can better use.
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