Watermelon helpful to prevent heart attack and weight gain

A recent study in US has found that consuming a slice of watermelon on daily basis could help to prevent you from heart disease by checking the formation of harmful cholesterol and also be help in weight control.

Scientists from Purdue University, US, who carried out studies on mice fed a high-fat diet found the fruit halved the rate at which 'bad' low-density lipoprotein (LDL), accumulated, Daily Mail reported.

LDL is a form of cholesterol that leads to clogged arteries and heart disease.

In addition to that, the researchers also also observed that eating watermelon on regular basis helped to control excess weight gain and resulted in less amount of fatty deposits inside blood vessels.

According to the researchers, the presence of chemical citrulline, found in the juice of watermelon could be the reason for watermelon's health-boosting properties.

However, the latest investigation did not show any significant effects on blood pressure, it did reveal watermelons had a powerful impact on other heart risk factors.

In Britain around 270,000 people a year suffer heart attack and nearly one in three die before they could reach hospital.

-With inputs from IANS