OSU Study: Watermelon pills helped health of obese mice

Next step would be human clinical trial

CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Eating watermelon in the form of powdered supplements helped adult obese mice avoid some detrimental health effects of an unhealthy diet, according to a new Oregon State University study.

The study is published in the Journal of Nutrition.

A significant next step in this research would be a human clinical trial, said study co-author Neil Shay, professor of food science in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

In the study, 10-week-old male laboratory mice were fed either a low-fat or high-fat diet over a 10-week period. Groups of high-fat-fed mice were given watermelon supplements in the form of a powder made from a freeze-dried process. The amount of water melon flesh supplement was equivalent to 1½  human servings a day, and the skin and rind supplement were equivalent to the amount in a typical dietary fiber supplement.

At the beginning and end of the trial, the researchers recorded the body weight and glucose tolerance of each mouse. Mice that were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with watermelon products had significantly better blood glucose levels than the mice on the high-fat-only diet.

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