Can Watermelon Boost Your Sex Life?

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Watermelon, the new Viagra? Maybe, according to a new study released this week by Texas A&M University and published in Science Daily magazine.

A& M’s aptly named Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center has been studying a compound found in watermelon called citrulline.

Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of the Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center, and his team have found higher levels of citrulline in the watermelon flesh than they previously thought.

"The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body," said Patil. I guess so, especially if they actually act like Viagra.

Citrulline is converted to the body into arginine, which boosts nitrous oxide, an ingredient known to relax blood vessels in a similar way that Viagra does.

"Watermelon may not be as organ specific as Viagra," said Patil to reporters. "But it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side-effects."

Just how much watermelon would someone need to consume to create an effect similar to taking a tab of Viagra? A lot, say scientists.

At least six cups would need to be consumed to get even a noticeable relaxation of blood vessels, and like Dr. Patil noted, this would not be "organ specific," so who knows how much one would need to eat to get that specific result.

With six or more cups of watermelon, you’re going to get some unpleasant side effects as well, such as more frequent bathroom trips, maybe a touch of diarrhea, and a blood sugar rise that may be temporarily pleasant but lead to a crash later.

Some experts are quick to poo-poo the watermelon-as-Viagra idea. Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, told reporters at CBS News that the idea of people being able to get a…er, boost, from eating watermelon is greatly exaggerated. He elaborated: "[That] would be the equivalent of someone dropping a beer bottle in Minneapolis, where the Mississippi River starts, and hoping to see it make an impact on someone in New Orleans."

Dr. Roger Clemens (no, not that Roger Clemens), professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Southern California agreed. Dr. Clemens said (with no apparent irony) that thinking watermelon will act as a Viagra-like stimulant is "clearly premature."

Well okay, then, maybe watermelon sales will not ah, rise sharply. But Dr. Patil says that there are other benefits to the tasty fruit.

Watermelon is high in lycopene, a heart-healthy antioxidant, as well as potassium, a natural diuretic.

So it’s still a good idea to eat a delicious slice or two of juicy watermelon this Fourth of July; just don’t expect it to add any fireworks to your bedroom.