Watermelon and abnormal urination symptoms
Watermelon is traditionally a summer fruit that is sweet, juicy and cooling in nature.
I remember from my childhood that the local Beijingers would eat watermelon nearly every day to keep their bodies cool and in balance throughout the summer.
Traditional Chinese medicine diet therapy recommends watermelon to relieve thirst and cool the body in summer. Furthermore, it can also help some urination symptoms such as burning and painful sensation and dark yellow urine.
The symptoms of bladder and abnormal urination symptoms
Abnormal urination symptoms are common with urinary tract infections. It is a common and annoying problem for women of all ages especially in summer.
Some women recover quickly while others suffer from lingering infections that come back again and again.
The main symptoms are:
- Frequent urination with an urgency to urinate
- Burning or painful sensations during urination
- Dark or cloudy coloured urine
- Lower back or lower abdominal pain
- Feeling feverish or unwell
Chinese medicine diet therapy understands that during treatment there are certain foods which can have a positive or negative effect on your symptoms.
For bladder and abnormal urination symptoms, eating chilli and hot, spicy foods will make your symptoms worse.
Eating watermelon will help to relieve your symptoms quicker and prevent infections from returning.
Remember: don’t delay to see your western medicine doctor (GP) first for a check-up if you have the above symptoms. UTIs can become a serious problem if left untreated.
The health benefits of watermelon
Relieve symptoms of bladder and abnormal urination symptoms
Watermelon clears heat and dampness from the Urinary Bladder channel by promoting urination to relieve the symptoms of abnormal urination.
I suggest eating a handful of watermelon or a cup of watermelon and celery juice daily to help you recover from abnormal urination symptoms.
Clear excess body heat in summer
In summer, some people are more affected by the heat than others. Watermelon is a great fruit to relieve excessive body heat, rehydrate the body and prevent heat-stroke in hot weather.
Did you know that you can eat the watermelon rind (the firm, crispy white part close to the skin), which is even more nutritious and effective for clearing heat?
Reduce extra fluid
Traditional Chinese diet therapy texts also describe that watermelon is especially beneficial for body swelling and puffiness.
Recipe: watermelon and celery juice
Juice 3 handfuls of chopped watermelon and 1 stick of celery.
Drink 1 glass of juice every 1-2 days.
Important advice: if you have abnormal urination symptoms, this recipe can be suitable to have alongside your course of antibiotics. It is not a substitute for seeking medical care.
Precautions and diet advice
Watermelon is generally best eaten at room temperature. It is eaten chilled usually only in extremely hot weather.
Avoid eating watermelon if you are experiencing diarrhoea.
If you are unsure whether or not watermelon is suitable for your body, ask your traditional Chinese medicine practitioner for further advice.
Food as medicine (A disclaimer)
Our “food as medicine” articles share knowledge about health foods in the context of traditional Chinese medicine diet therapy and practices often dating back thousands of years. We also support this knowledge with references to published scientific research. Please keep in mind that scientific research into the health benefits of foods is still emerging and human research is limited.
Consuming a wide variety of natural foods as part of a balanced diet is most beneficial for health, however, we don’t advise using food alone to treat diseases. Please consult with your doctor or health professional about which foods are suitable for your body or health issues.
What Does The Research Say?
The following insights are obtained from scientific studies, systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of L-citrulline.
2020 Experimental Gerontology
Citrulline supplementation combined to high intensity interval training is more effective in improving functional capacities and body composition in healthy older adults than high intensity interval training alone.
The decrease in BMI and android fat mass were significantly greater in the high intensity interval training + citrulline group than in the high intensity interval training + placebo group. Finally, a greater increase in self-paced gait speed and fast-paced gait speed were also observed in the high intensity interval training + citrulline group than in the high intensity interval training + placebo group.
High intensity interval training combined with L-citrulline supplementation: Effects on physical performance in healthy older adults Buckinx F., Carvalho L.P., Marcangeli V., Dulac M., Hajj Boutros G., Gouspillou G., Gaudreau P., Noirez P., Aubertin-Leheudre M.
2019 Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine
L-citrulline supplementation may reduce systolic blood pressure. A significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure was observed only in the studies that used doses ≥ 6 g/day.
The included studies' sample size ranged between 12 and 34 subjects. The mean age of the participants in these trials ranged between 22 and 71 years. Dosage of L-citrulline supplementation varied from 3 to 9 g/day. Duration of the intervention ranged between 1 and 17 weeks. The pooled changes in systolic and diastolic BP were (MD, −4.10 mm Hg; 95% CI [−7.94, -0.26]; p=0.037) and (MD −2.08 mm Hg; 95% CI [−4.32, 0.16]; P=0.069), respectively. The subgroup analysis showed a significant diastolic BP reduction in studies that used doses of ≥6 g/day (MD −2.75 mm Hg; 95% CI [−5.37, -0.12]; p=0.04).
Effects of L-citrulline supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis Barkhidarian B, Khorshidi M, Shab-Bidar S, Hashemi B.
2019 Nutrition & Metabolism
L-citrulline supplementation significantly decreased non-resting brachial and aortic systolic blood pressure.
L-citrulline supplementation significantly decreased non-resting brachial and aortic systolic blood pressure. Brachial diastolic blood pressure was significantly lowered by L-citrulline regardless of resting status. Given the relatively small number of available trials in the stratified analyses and the potential limitations of these trials, the present findings should be interpreted cautiously and need to be confirmed in future well-designed trials with a larger sample size.
Effect of oral L-citrulline on brachial and aortic blood pressure defined by resting status: evidence from randomized controlled trials Yang, HH., Li, XL., Zhang, WG. et al.
2019 Sports Medicine
Results of the meta-analysis identified a significant benefit for citrulline compared to placebo treatments on indices of high-intensity exercise performance in healthy men and women.
Twelve studies, consisting of 13 total independent samples (n = 198 participants), met the inclusion criteria. Between-study variance, heterogeneity, and inconsistency across studies were low, and no funnel plot asymmetry was present. Results of the meta-analysis identified a significant benefit for citrulline compared to placebo treatments, with a small pooled standardized mean difference.
The effect size was small (0.20), and confidence intervals for each individual study crossed the line of null effect. However, the results may be relevant to high-level athletes, in which competitive outcomes are decided by small margins.
Acute Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on High-Intensity Strength and Power Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Trexler, E.T., Persky, A.M., Ryan, E.D. et al.
2017 Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
Recent studies have shown that chronic L-citrulline supplementation increases nitric oxide synthesis, decreases blood pressure, and may increase peripheral blood flow.
L-Citrulline, either synthetic or in watermelon, may improve vascular function through increased L-arginine bioavailability and nitric oxide synthesis.
There is clear evidence that acute L-citrulline ingestion increases plasma L-arginine, the substrate for endothelial nitric oxide synthesis. However, the subsequent acute improvement in nitric oxide production and mediated vasodilation is inconsistent, which likely explains the inability of acute L-citrulline or watermelon to improve exercise tolerance. Recent studies have shown that chronic L-citrulline supplementation increases nitric oxide synthesis, decreases blood pressure, and may increase peripheral blood flow. These changes are paralleled by improvements in skeletal muscle oxygenation and performance during endurance exercise. The antihypertensive effect of L-citrulline/watermelon supplementation is evident in adults with prehypertension or hypertension, but not in normotensives. However, L-citrulline supplementation may attenuate the blood pressure response to exercise in normotensive men.
The beneficial vascular effects of L-citrulline/watermelon supplementation may stem from improvements in the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway. Reductions in resting blood pressure with L-citrulline/watermelon supplementation may have major implications for individuals with prehypertension and hypertension. L-Citrulline supplementation, but not acute ingestion, have shown to improve exercise performance in young healthy adults.
Influence of L-citrulline and watermelon supplementation on vascular function and exercise performance Figueroa A, Wong A, Jaime SJ, Gonzales JU.
2013 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Watermelon juice helped to reduce the recovery heart rate and muscle soreness after 24 h in seven athletes.
In the in vivo experiment (maximum effort test in a cycloergometer), seven athletes were supplied with 500 mL of natural watermelon juice (1.17 g of l-citrulline), enriched watermelon juice (4.83 g of l-citrulline plus 1.17 g from watermelon), and placebo. Both watermelon juices helped to reduce the recovery heart rate and muscle soreness after 24 h.
Watermelon juice: potential functional drink for sore muscle relief in athletes Tarazona-DÃaz MP, Alacid F, Carrasco M, MartÃnez I, Aguayo E.
Scientific References
Browse our collection of scientific research on L-citrulline. It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.
2021, Jun 17
Effects of L-citrulline supplementation on nitric oxide and antioxidant markers after high-intensity interval exercise in young men: a randomized controlled trial
British Journal of Nutrition
Our data indicate that L-Cit supplementation (single 12 g dose pre-exercise) induces improvements in antioxidant markers following a session of high-intensity interval exercise in young men.
Valaei K, Mehrabani J, Wong A. Full Article
2020, Jul 25
High intensity interval training combined with L-citrulline supplementation: Effects on physical performance in healthy older adults
Experimental Gerontology
Citrulline supplementation combined to high intensity interval training is more effective in improving functional capacities and body composition in healthy older adults than high intensity interval training alone.
Buckinx F., Carvalho L.P., Marcangeli V., Dulac M., Hajj Boutros G., Gouspillou G., Gaudreau P., Noirez P., Aubertin-Leheudre M. Full Article
2019, Dec 26
Effect of oral L-citrulline on brachial and aortic blood pressure defined by resting status: evidence from randomized controlled trials
Nutrition & Metabolism
L-Cit supplementation significantly decreased non-resting brachial and aortic SBP. Brachial DBP was significantly lowered by L-Cit regardless of resting status
Yang, HH., Li, XL., Zhang, WG. et al. Full Article
2019, Mar 20
Acute Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on High-Intensity Strength and Power Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Sports Medicine
The effect size was small (0.20), and confidence intervals for each individual study crossed the line of null effect. However, the results may be relevant to high-level athletes, in which competitive outcomes are decided by small margins. Further research is encouraged to fully elucidate the effects of potential moderating study characteristics, such as the form of citrulline supplement, citrulline dose, sex, age, and strength versus power tasks.
Trexler, E.T., Persky, A.M., Ryan, E.D. et al. Full Article
2019, Jan
Effects of L-citrulline supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine
L-citrulline naturally found in watermelon has been found , in this study, with high efficacy of reducing blood pressure. Patients reported to have lower systolic blood pressure after regular intake of supplementation.
Barkhidarian B, Khorshidi M, Shab-Bidar S, Hashemi B. Full Article
2017, Jan
Influence of L-citrulline and watermelon supplementation on vascular function and exercise performance
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
The beneficial vascular effects of L-citrulline/watermelon supplementation may stem from improvements in the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway. Reductions in resting blood pressure with L-citrulline/watermelon supplementation may have major implications for individuals with prehypertension and hypertension. L-Citrulline supplementation, but not acute ingestion, have shown to improve exercise performance in young healthy adults.
Figueroa A, Wong A, Jaime SJ, Gonzales JU. Full Article
2013, Jul 29
Watermelon juice: potential functional drink for sore muscle relief in athletes
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
In the in vivo experiment (maximum effort test in a cycloergometer), seven athletes were supplied with 500 mL of natural watermelon juice (1.17 g of l-citrulline), enriched watermelon juice (4.83 g of l-citrulline plus 1.17 g from watermelon), and placebo. Both watermelon juices helped to reduce the recovery heart rate and muscle soreness after 24 h.
Tarazona-DÃaz MP, Alacid F, Carrasco M, MartÃnez I, Aguayo E. Full Article
