Watermelon juice relieves post-exercise muscle soreness

Watermelon juice relieves post-exercise muscle soreness

Watermelon juice's reputation among athletes is getting scientific support in a new study, which found that juice from the summer favorite fruit can relieve post-exercise muscle soreness. The report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry attributes watermelon's effects to the amino acid L-citrulline.

Encarna Aguayo and colleagues cite past research on watermelon juice's and its potential to increase and enhance athletic performance. But scientists had yet to explore the effectiveness of watermelon juice drinks enriched in L-citrulline. Aguayo's team set out to fill that gap in knowledge.

They tested natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched in L-citrulline and a control 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. L-citrulline in the natural juice (unpasteurized), however, seemed to be more bioavailable—in a form the body could better use, the study found.

More information: "Watermelon Juice: Potential Functional Drink for Sore Muscle Relief in Athletes" J. Agric. Food Chem., 2013, 61 (31), pp 7522–7528 DOI: 10.1021/jf400964r

Citation: Watermelon juice relieves post-exercise muscle soreness (2013, August 14) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-08-watermelon-juice-relieves-post-exercise-muscle.html
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