Cantaloupes Health Benefits

The history of cantaloupes suggests they were first harvested in the Indian and African continent, and even find their way into Egyptian paintings. This fruit, classified as a melon, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family of fruits, and is also known as muskmelon or rock melon. Cantaloupes are best from June through August, but are available throughout the year, they grow on a vine and are found along the ground.

Cantaloupes contain a copious supply of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, and a single serving of cantaloupe has around 103% of the daily value of Vitamin A. It is also rich in Vitamin C and a single serving consists of around 112% of the daily value of Vitamin C. Cantaloupes also contain beta-carotene, an important nutrient, also known as pro vitamin A. In addition, they are also a good source of Vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folic acid, and potassium. Production and maintenance of new cells is attributed to the nutrients found in cantaloupes. Some of its benefits are:

Vision
Natural Vitamin A and beta-carotene found in cantaloupes are a great deterrent for cataracts and help in vision correction. Having a serving of cantaloupe a day will help you improve your vision, and according to a survey, consumption of this fruit also prevents age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Lungs
If you are a smoker or inhaler of second-hand smoke, you are at risk of getting lung cancer. A carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency, which causes lung cancer. The beta carotene and vitamin A in cantaloupe are good antioxidants and help protect against lung diseases. Beta carotene supplements have no or little effect and doctors advise to get it from natural sources as far as possible.

Heart
Potassium is needed to keep a normal water balance between the cells and the body fluids. It is also known to help thinning of the blood and offer protection against angina. Cantaloupes are a great natural source of potassium and a study has revealed that eating cantaloupe reduces the risk of heart attacks by as much as 50%.

Immunity
The immune system helps the body to ward off diseases and symptoms and is an integral part of our well-being. A high percentage of vitamin C, which helps the growth of white cells and boosts the immune system, is found in cantaloupes. The growth and maintenance of cells is also credited to the nutrients in this fruit.

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is essential in maintaining membrane permeability, and plays an important part inside our body. The best antioxidants in the cantaloupe fight oxidative stress and prevent oxidation of the low density lipoprotein, which is good for cholesterol. Cantaloupe is low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol and drinking cantaloupe juice is highly beneficial for our bodies.

There are many other benefits of consuming cantaloupe as well; it is known to be effective against high blood pressure, obesity and kidney disorders. The potassium in cantaloupe helps bring down blood pressure while cantaloupe juice helps the body excrete excess sodium, thereby reducing water retention. Some of the other health benefits of cantaloupe are that it is effective against skin diseases, arthritis and some blood deficiencies. Some nutritional facts about cantaloupe are that in one cupful of cantaloupe you get 56 calories, 14 mg sodium, 494 mg potassium, 1.0 g protein and 1.0 g fiber.

Considering all the above mentioned statistics, the benefits far exceed the other fruits in the melon category. Realizing this, people have started consuming this fruit more, and statistics have shown that it is one of the most popular variety of melon in America.