{"id":16969,"date":"2016-09-16T17:06:45","date_gmt":"2016-09-17T00:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=16969"},"modified":"2018-11-09T17:21:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-09T17:21:15","slug":"eat-more-watermelon-enjoy-better-erections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/eat-more-watermelon-enjoy-better-erections\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat More Watermelon, Enjoy Better Erections?"},"content":{"rendered":"

L<\/span>oaded with healthful nutrients, watermelon is an exceptionally erection-friendly natural food. Its high levels of citrulline and lycopene are particularly supportive of robust erectile function.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The health of your erections is closely related to your overall health.\u00a0As doctors and researchers have discovered the connections between erectile dysfunction and general health concerns like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, they have found one more reason to emphasize to their patients the importance of eating healthy foods and getting regular physical activity. If your arteries are in good shape, you’re likelier to have stronger erections.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, and low in saturated fats, sugars, and processed foods is advisable for cardiac health, and since heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women, this dietary advice pretty much applies to everyone.<\/p>\n

In fact, drugs like Viagra started out being studied as potential treatments for heart problems, and gained fame due to their “side effect” of producing stronger erections. So keep your heart healthy, and you have a better chance of having healthy erections too. And one recent study in particular has found that a substance naturally found in watermelon can help with erectile health.<\/p>\n

Why Watermelon?<\/h3>\n

Watermelon is considered a nutrient dense food<\/a>, rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus, it gives you all this while remaining low in calories. Watermelons can be difficult to find outside of the summer months, but if you need another excuse to enjoy this summer treat, potentially better erectile health appears to be one of them.<\/p>\n

Watermelon has been found to reduce blood pressure<\/a> in obese, middle-aged adults with pre-hypertension and stage 1 hypertension. It has high fiber and water content to promote bowel regularity, and one of the reasons it’s such a welcome snack in the summer is because it’s full of critical electrolytes, and is great for helping prevent dehydration. It’s also high in vitamins A and C, both of which are important to healthy skin and creation of collagen, which provides the structure of skin and hair.<\/p>\n

Watermelon also has a naturally high concentration of an amino acid called citrulline, which has been found to help blood vessels “relax” and allow better blood flow. This is analogous to what erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra do: allow better blood flow, so that erections are easier to attain in the presence of sexual stimulation.<\/p>\n

All about Citrulline<\/h3>\n
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Among its many nutrients, watermelon is naturally high in citrulline.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Citrulline is known as an alpha-amino acid and was first isolated from watermelons in the early 20th century. In humans, citrulline is created as a byproduct of the conversion of nitric oxide from another amino acid called arginine. This reaction is important because nitric oxide is a vasodilator (meaning it dilates or expands blood vessels) and helps regulate blood pressure.<\/p>\n

Citrulline malate is sold as a dietary supplement, purportedly for reducing muscle fatigue, but watermelon is a natural (and tasty) source of citrulline. Citrulline has been studied as a potential treatment in men with mild erectile dysfunction, and appears to have some positive effect.<\/p>\n

A placebo-controlled, single-blind study of 24 middle-aged men with mild erectile dysfunction<\/a> in 2011 found that a statistically significant proportion of those who took an L-citrulline supplement for one month increased their erection hardness score from 3 (which indicates mild erectile dysfunction) to 4 (indicating normal erectile function). Moreover, men who took L-citrulline had more sexual intercourse over the span of one month than men who took the placebo.<\/p>\n

What About Arginine?<\/h3>\n

You may have heard about the use of a dietary supplement called L-arginine as a potential booster of erectile function. This amino acid is found naturally in meat, poultry, and fish as well. Arginine turns into nitric oxide in the body, which is necessary for blood vessels to open adequately to allow for good erectile function, so it makes sense that men might try L-arginine supplementation in pursuit of stronger erections. Though it’s generally considered safe and is usually well-tolerated, however, it doesn’t seem to do much for erections<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to the researchers in the above-mentioned L-citrulline study, that’s because when L-arginine is taken orally, it undergoes significant pre-systemic metabolism, so by the time it gets into the system, there’s not really enough arginine to make much of a difference. By contrast, L-citrulline does not undergo the same kind of pre-systemic metabolism, and is<\/i> converted to L-arginine once in the system. This would make it a more logical supplement to take than L-arginine for improving erections.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Lycopene<\/h3>\n

Lycopene is a carotenoid that’s found in healthy foods like tomatoes, guava, apricots, and other fruits. It’s what gives them their red color. Nice, red watermelon also contains plenty of lycopene – about 40% more than what’s in raw tomatoes<\/a>. Lycopene is an antioxidant, which means it scavenges up “singlet-oxygen.” Low blood levels of lycopene are associated with higher weight, smoking, and general aging, which are all associated with poorer erectile function.<\/p>\n

Not a lot of research on lycopene and erectile function has been done, but Israeli researchers found that daily lycopene supplementation helped lower blood pressure<\/a> among men and women with slightly elevated blood pressure. Might this benefit also help produce stronger erections? It’s possible, and some animal studies have been done in rodents that appear promising for erection problems caused by diabetes. But any lycopene-erection correlation is new on the research horizon. Suffice it to say that watermelon is a great natural source of lycopene, offering one more reason to enjoy this summer fruit.<\/p>\n

Making It Part of a Healthy Diet Plan<\/h3>\n
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Regular exercise, combined with a healthy diet, helps to promote strong erectile function.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Watermelon isn’t just for 4th of July picnics. Yes, watermelons may seem pricey, but one watermelon equals several servings, and preparation is minimal. There are a few tricks to choosing a red, ripe watermelon so you can be confident you’re getting citrulline, lycopene, and the other health benefits it offers.<\/p>\n

First of all, watermelons should feel heavy for their size<\/a>. Look for the spot on the watermelon where it has rested on the ground. In a ripe watermelon, this “splotch” should be a creamy yellow color. And yes, thumping also provides clues to ripeness. When you tap the underside of a ripe watermelon, it should produce a deep, hollow sound. If the sound is dull, it probably means the melon is under- or over-ripe. You may have to thump several to familiarize yourself with the sounds watermelons make when thumped.<\/p>\n

Add Exercise for More Benefits<\/h3>\n

Getting the most of a healthy diet means also including regular physical exercise in your life. You don’t have to train for a triathlon but can start with regular walking, swimming, or whatever other exercise you enjoy enough to stick with. Doctors now regularly recommend a smart, healthy diet and regular exercise to men who have erectile dysfunction, and they’re not trying to be difficult. There’s plenty of evidence that lifestyle changes can significantly improve the quality of erections, and that holds true whether or not a man takes prescription drugs like Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction.<\/p>\n

Watermelons in season are one of the joys of summertime. Not only are they delicious, but they’re packed with nutrients that promote overall good health as well as healthier erections. Even if you take prescription medications for erectile dysfunction, improving your lifestyle through healthier eating and regular exercise can help these medications work better. Increased energy and loss of excess weight can boost your confidence as well. Look at erectile dysfunction as a facet of overall health, and you can comprehensively treat it and enjoy better sex and feel better in general.<\/p>\n

eDrugstore.com<\/a> works with U.S.-licensed pharmacists to dispense brand-name erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra at competitive prices with unmatched convenience. The longtime online facilitator is also devoted to its customers’ overall health and invites you to learn more about the many causes of and treatments for erectile dysfunction at its Erection Problems page<\/a>.
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Loaded with healthful nutrients, watermelon is an exceptionally erection-friendly natural food. Its high levels of citrulline and lycopene are particularly supportive of robust erectile function. The health of your erections is closely related to your overall health.\u00a0As doctors and researchers have discovered the connections between erectile dysfunction and general health concerns like obesity, diabetes, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-16969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erectile-dysfunction","tag-erectile-dysfunction-2"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t