Can Eating Watermelon Improve Heart Health? We Visit U. of Alabama | Behind the Science, S3 Ep9

Did you know that watermelon is a bioactive superfood? Jen visits the University of Alabama and learns how Kristi Crowe-White is using LC-MS to study how the vitamins and minerals in watermelon can improve cardiovascular health. Dr. Crowe-White describes how watermelon has six bioactive compounds: two amino acids and four antioxidants that are important as anti-inflammatory agents. Next she describes a study she performed on how quickly women can see direct vascular improvements after enjoying watermelon juice, and why mass spectrometry was important to understand that influence on cardiovascular health. Trust us – you’ll want to run to the store for some watermelon after watching this episode of Behind the Science!

Learn more about Dr. Crowe-White’s nutrition lab at the University of Alabama: http://kcrowe.people.ua.edu/

More about using LC-MS to study the nutritional compounds in natural products: http://www.waters.com/naturalproducts