Wild watermelon juice and artery stiffness in young women
What it found
In 12 healthy young women, a single drink of wild watermelon juice reduced stiffness in the lower-limb arteries and raised blood flow and nitric oxide markers there.
Central and whole-body artery stiffness did not change.
What they found
Studies in people
Lower-limb artery stiffness
The change in femoral-ankle pulse wave velocity, a measure of stiffness in the leg arteries, was significantly lower after the wild watermelon drink than after the placebo at 30, 60 and 90 minutes.
Blood flow in the leg
Blood flow in the posterior tibial artery of the lower leg increased significantly more after the wild watermelon drink than after the placebo.
Nitric oxide markers
Plasma nitrate/nitrite levels, which reflect nitric oxide production, rose significantly more after the wild watermelon drink than after the placebo at 30, 60 and 90 minutes.
Central and whole-body stiffness
There were no significant differences between the wild watermelon and placebo drinks in brachial-ankle or carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, which reflect whole-body and central artery stiffness.
Blood pressure and heart rate
Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate did not differ significantly between the two drinks.
Blood flow in other arteries
Blood flow in the carotid and brachial arteries did not differ between the wild watermelon and placebo drinks.
What the authors conclude
“In this study, we found that acute ingestion of wild watermelon-extracted juice increased lower-limb blood flow and NO bioavailability, and decreased lower-limb arterial stiffness in healthy women.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that acute ingestion of wild watermelon-extracted juice increased lower-limb blood flow and NO bioavailability, and decreased lower-limb arterial stiffness in healthy women.
- They say this finding provides a basis for considering the intake of wild watermelon-extracted juice as a therapeutic strategy for PAD.
- They call for further studies with a large sample of men and patients with PAD to confirm the effects on vascular function.
How it was done
The authors wanted to know whether a single serving of wild watermelon-extracted juice could lower artery stiffness by boosting nitric oxide, since long-term watermelon or citrulline intake has shown such effects but the acute effect was unclear.
Twelve healthy young women took part in a randomised, double-blind crossover study. Each drank either a beverage with 90 g of wild watermelon extract or a placebo, and measurements were taken before and 30, 60 and 90 minutes after drinking.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small pilot study in 12 healthy young women, so the results may not apply to men, older adults or people with health conditions.
- The study did not test whether drinking wild watermelon juice over time changes artery stiffness or cardiovascular outcomes.
- The authors could not identify which specific nutrients in the juice were responsible for the effects.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Euglena Co. Ltd. (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- O.T., A.N. and K.S. are salaried employees of Euglena Co., Ltd., which produced some of the wild watermelons used in this study.
- Authors work at
- Ritsumeikan University, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Wild Watermelon-Extracted Juice Ingestion Reduces Peripheral Arterial Stiffness with an Increase in Nitric Oxide Production: A Randomized Crossover Pilot Study
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Fujie S, Iemitsu K, Inoue K, et al (2022). Wild Watermelon-Extracted Juice Ingestion Reduces Peripheral Arterial Stiffness with an Increase in Nitric Oxide Production: A Randomized Crossover Pilot Study. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14245199Free full textPubMed 36558358DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error