BENEFITS OF DRINKING WATERMELON JUICE.

 

Watermelon juice is more than a refreshing summer drink: it delivers a concentrated set of nutrients and physiologic effects that support hydration, cardiovascular health, exercise recovery, skin health, and more. Below are the principal benefits, how they work, and practical notes on consumption and safety.

Key benefits and mechanisms

• Exceptional hydration
• Composed of ~90% water plus electrolytes (potassium, small amounts of magnesium and sodium), making it effective for rapid rehydration after activity or heat exposure.
• Easier to drink in volume than plain water for people who prefer flavor.
• Rich source of electrolytes and potassium
• Potassium supports cellular fluid balance, nerve conduction, and blood pressure regulation.
• A single 10–12 oz (300–350 ml) glass can provide a meaningful fraction of daily potassium needs.
• Nitric oxide precursors (citrulline → arginine → NO)
• Watermelon is high in L‑citrulline, especially in the rind; the body converts citrulline to arginine and then nitric oxide (NO).
• NO causes vasodilation — may reduce arterial stiffness, lower post‑exercise muscle soreness, and modestly lower blood pressure in some people.
• Antioxidants: lycopene, vitamin C, beta‑carotene
• Lycopene is a potent carotenoid linked to reduced oxidative stress and inflammation; higher bioavailability in juice than whole fruit for some individuals.
• Vitamin C supports immune function, collagen synthesis, and skin health.
• Antioxidants together can protect cells from free‑radical damage and support cardiovascular health.
• Exercise recovery and muscle soreness reduction
• Citrulline content appears to improve post‑exercise recovery and reduce muscle soreness in some small clinical trials.
• The carbohydrate content helps replenish glycogen when consumed after prolonged exercise.
• Low-calorie, nutrient-dense option
• Lower in calories than many commercial juices or sports drinks when consumed unsweetened; provides micronutrients with fewer added sugars.
• Digestive friendliness
• Naturally free of fat and low in fiber (in juice form), making it easy to digest when solid food is unappealing after illness or exercise.

Practical use and dosing

• For general hydration and antioxidant benefit: 200–350 ml (1 glass) daily is reasonable.
• For exercise support/NO-related effects: studies often use 300–500 ml of juice or 1–2 cups of concentrated rind extracts providing ~1–3 g citrulline; benefits are modest and vary by individual.
• To increase citrulline: include some rind (blended) or choose commercial products standardized for citrulline if targeting performance outcomes.

Safety and caveats

• Sugar content: natural fructose content is significant — roughly 10–12 g per 100 g of fruit. Diabetics or people monitoring carbohydrate intake should account for this.
• Caloric intake: large volumes add calories; balance with overall diet.
• Interactions with medications: potential additive blood‑pressure lowering effects with antihypertensive drugs; monitor blood pressure if consuming large amounts regularly.
• Oxalates and kidney stones: watermelon is low in oxalates; not a common kidney‑stone risk, but high fluid intake generally reduces stone risk.
• Food safety: fresh juice spoils quickly; refrigerate and consume within 24–48 hours or freeze. Commercial pasteurized juices are safer for prolonged storage.

How to maximize benefits

• Use whole fruit or minimally processed juice to retain fiber and phytonutrients; blend rather than strain if you want more fiber.
• Combine with protein or a small healthy fat after exercise for better recovery (e.g., watermelon juice + yogurt or a small handful of nuts).
• Include the rind in smoothies to boost citrulline and fiber; peel thoroughly and wash before use.

Evidence summary (concise)

• Strong evidence: hydration, potassium/vitamin C supply, antioxidant (lycopene) intake.
• Moderately supportive evidence: modest reductions in blood pressure and arterial stiffness, reduced exercise soreness from citrulline-containing preparations.
• Limited/conflicting evidence: large or clinically meaningful performance enhancements — effects are typically small and variable.

Typical examples

• Athlete anecdote: runners reporting reduced post‑run soreness after daily watermelon juice or rind supplement during training blocks.
• Clinical studies: short trials showing small decreases in systolic blood pressure and improved arterial compliance after daily watermelon extract or concentrated juice for several weeks.

Bottom line

Watermelon juice is an effective, pleasant way to hydrate, deliver potassium and antioxidants (notably lycopene and vitamin C), and supply citrulline that may aid vascular function and post‑exercise recovery. Use in moderation because of natural sugars; include rind or standardized extracts when targeting citrulline‑related benefits.

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Porky quagmire: PAS Youth wants swift apology from Madani gov’t for invoking Selangor ruler’s wrath

 

PAS Youth has demanded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and DAP’s Seri Kembangan state assemblywoman Wong Siew Ki to immediately seek royal forgiveness for defying Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s decree over the issue of pig farming in the state.

If no apology is made within 24 hours, the movement will not hesitate to initiate police reports nationwide on grounds of treason against the royal institution, warned its president Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden.

This follows the Selangor ruler’s stinging outburst as evidenced by the choice of colours and fonts in his latest media statement which was accompanied by a two-worded “Full Stop!” reminder which is seemingly a very clear signal of anger and insistence that he does not consent to pig farming issue in the state.

“It’s very saddening when the firmness of His Highness’ decree seems not to be given serious attention by the Madani government which administers Selangor or the Federal Government,” lamented Afnan who is also the Alor Setar MP.

“In fact, PAS Youth is also disappointed with the statement given by the Communications Minister (Fahmi) on Wednesday (May 6) that pig farming in Selangor is allowed by the Federal Government.

“Why is the Madani government seen as so strongly defending the erection of pig farms while seemingly ignoring the issue of rice farmers in Kedah?”

Eric See-To takes a swipe at Fahmi

For the record, instead of adhering to Sultan Sharafuddin’s desire of no pig farming in Selangor, PMX went on to acknowledge Putrajaya’s stance on the strict conditions for opening pig farms in Selangor during his recent audience with the Selangor ruler.

This was revealed by Fahmi after PMX briefed the Cabinet on the audience session which was also attended by Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

“The Federal government has taken the stance that any pig farming area can only be implemented in new areas that are located far from residential areas or critical resources such as watercourses, rivers and so on,” Fahmi who doubled up as the Madani government spokesman told a media conference in Kuala Lumpur.

“It must also be accompanied by the use of high technology that can manage waste and pollution issues very well.”

However, detractors have labelled such statement as derhaka (betrayal) to Sultan Sharafuddin’s numerous decrees since he first expressed his harsh stance on Jan 10 by objecting to the mega scale pig farming project in the Tanjong Sepat vicinity in Kuala Langat beginning this year prior to its re-location to Bukit Tagar in 2030.

The issue became a hot potato recently when DAP state rep Wong – in the name of equality according to the Federal Constitution – contended, among others, that hog rearing “shouldn’t be differentiated from that of other animals”.

Her justification is that the risk of pollution as well as the hygienic and health aspect are the same as faced by the farming of other livestock.

As PAS is staring at the prospect of capitalising on the pig farming issue in its quest to control Selangor come the 16th General Election (GE16), Madani critic Datuk Eric See-To has chosen to take a pot shot at Comms Minister Fahmi given (almost) all news reports on his pig farming media conference “have now disappeared or been wiped out”.

“If the media report is wrong, the media should make a correction,” jibed the former Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications deputy director in one of his few Facebook posts aimed at the PKR information chief.

“But if the report is accurate and based on the Minister’s own media conference, why are reports from various media suddenly been completely deleted? This is not a small issue. This is an issue of media freedom.”

Added the loyalist of disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak who previously blogged under the moniker Lim Sian See:

Is this an attempt to save the Minister from criticism or worse from possible police action related to the 3Rs (race, religion, royalty)?

If so, this may be an abuse of power to erase evidence of a possible criminal case which in itself is a criminal offence.

Because if the opposition or ordinary rakyat mistakenly touch on the issue of royalty, religion or race, action is quickly taken based on the media report.

But when it involves government ministers, suddenly the (erroneous) media reports disappear one by one?

And if the government can make media houses delete accurate reports just because the report embarrasses the Minister, then media freedom in this country is indeed seriously ill. –  Focus Malaysia

'Local academia has self-promotion focus, not to help society,' says architecture don

 

After former minister Khairy Jamaluddin criticised historians for their reluctance to correct misinformation, an outspoken academic has echoed similar concerns.

According to Islamic architecture professor Tajuddin Rasdi, he observed the same pattern throughout his years in academia, with many scholars more concerned about university rankings than contributing to societal improvement.

“When I was part of a group of 70 Malay professors, I asked many times for the professors to use social media to educate the Malays and Malaysians on the various issues plaguing our country, but my plea was totally ignored.

“In my 40 years of academia, I have been in faculty rooms, senate rooms, and board rooms where the only issues that seem to matter were money, university ranking, and accolades.

“Nothing much was said to use knowledge to help politicians change society for the better.

“I have concluded that academia in Malaysia is a self-promotion exercise, nothing more, everything less,” he said in a statement to Malaysiakini.

Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin

In a podcast snippet published yesterday, Khairy blamed “cowardly” academicians for remaining silent while public misconceptions about Malaysia’s history continued to spread.

According to the former MP, he found it difficult to find experts willing to speak on his podcast about history, including a renowned historian who was worried about being “misinterpreted”.

A scholar’s responsibility

Tajuddin said he, too, had a similar experience not too long ago.

He said he once asked a famous professor to engage the public and help mitigate many issues about Islam, which was the academic’s area of expertise.

However, his suggestion was dismissed by the unnamed academic, saying he “disliked the social media”.

“I have always said in my writings and talks that a country fails not because of politicians but because the ‘ulamak’ or scholars fail to educate the people on what should matter within the specific context of issues and politics.

“In Islam, the responsibility of the scholar is about social change for the better and not collecting brownie points to be called a ‘scholar’ as a prestige title,” Tajuddin added. - Mkini

Europe closely watching for cruise-linked hantavirus cases, as WHO urges calm

 

European countries have increased monitoring and isolation measures on Thursday after a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius spread across multiple jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged calm and stated that the risk of a larger epidemic is low.

The outbreak, involving the Andes strain of hantavirus, has so far resulted in five confirmed cases, three suspected infections, and three deaths among passengers connected to the voyage, according to WHO officials, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

“It’s a specific, confined setting where people are interacting in prolonged close contact,” WHO Director for Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations Abdirahman Mahamud told reporters in Geneva.

“We don’t anticipate a large epidemic with the experience our member states have and the actions they have taken... We believe that this will not lead to subsequent chains of transmission,” he said.

The MV Hondius, carrying approximately 150 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities, departed from Argentina and crossed the Atlantic before reporting a cluster of respiratory illnesses while sailing off Cape Verde.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the first confirmed cases had travelled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the ship, including visits to bird-watching areas inhabited by rodents known to carry the Andes virus.

The WHO has informed 12 countries whose nationals disembarked earlier in Saint Helena: Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkiye, the UK, and the US.

The ship is sailing toward the Canary Islands, with the WHO saying both the overall public health risk and the risk to the islands remain low.

Meanwhile, in Germany, a 65-year-old woman possibly exposed aboard the ship was transferred under strict infection-control measures to University Hospital Dusseldorf for precautionary testing.

“The patient is in stable condition,” the hospital said, adding that there was no evidence of active infection so far.

Hantavirus

Dutch authorities said a flight attendant from Haarlem was hospitalised at Amsterdam UMC after coming into contact with a Dutch passenger who later died a day after the flight, broadcaster NOS reported.

The Netherlands also confirmed that two evacuated passengers hospitalised in Leiden and Nijmegen tested positive for hantavirus after being transferred from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.

The French Health Ministry said five French nationals remain confined aboard the ship under medical supervision as officials coordinate repatriation plans at the European level.

France is also monitoring eight French nationals identified as contacts for a confirmed case during a flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg.

One person developed mild symptoms and underwent diagnostic testing under isolation protocols.

- Bernama