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A study by researchers from Purdue University and University of Kentucky claims that mice who consumed watermelon juice along with their diet had weight, cholesterol and arterial plaque when compared to a control group.

According to the study, citrulline, a compound found in watermelon, plays a key role in keeping the heart healthy.

"We were interested in citrulline because previous studies showed that it may lower blood pressure," said Shubin Saha, a Purdue Extension vegetable specialist and study co-author. "We didn't see a lowering of blood pressure, but these other changes are promising."

For the study, the researchers divided a few mice in two groups and fed them diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

While one group of mice received water containing 2 percent watermelon juice, mice in the other group was given same amount of water supplemented with a solution that matched the carbohydrate content of the watermelon juice.

The findings of the study revealed that the group of mice that consumed watermelon juice gained about 30 percent less weight than the control group and had about 50 percent less LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Also, this group showed a 50 percent reduced plaque in their arteries, as well as elevated levels of citrulline, Medical Xpress reported.

"We know that watermelon is good for health because it contains citrulline," said Sibu Saha, a professor of surgery at the University of Kentucky. "We don't know yet at what molecular level it's working, and that's the next step."

The scientists want to find a secondary market for watermelons in nutraceuticals, which are foods or food components with health benefits.

According to Shubin Saha, about 20 of watermelon crop each year gets wasted either because the fruit is visibly unappealing to consumers or because some growers cannot afford to pay for harvesting as the price of the fruit goes really low during watermelon season.

"We could use the wasted melons that can't go to market for extracting beneficial compounds," Shubin Saha said. "Growers are putting energy into these crops, so if we can do something to help them market their additional product, that would be a benefit to the industry and consumers."

The researchers would continue to look at how concentrations of citrulline and lycopene (another compound in watermelon) affect health. Saha will also look into what variety of watermelons are the most beneficial.

The findings are reported in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.