Could watermelons substitute Viagra and other erectile dysfunction medicines?

Watermelons may be mostly water — about 92 percent — but these refreshing fruits are soaked with nutrients. Each juicy bite gives you significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids, and even a modest amount of potassium. Plus, this quintessential summer snack is fat-free, very low in sodium, and has only 40 calories per cup.

Scientists have taken notice of watermelon’s high lycopene levels. Lycopene is the red pigment that gives watermelons, tomatoes, red grapefruits and guavas their color. It’s also a valuable carotenoid phytonutrient linked with heart health, bone health and prostate cancer prevention.

Watermelon has some of the highest levels of lycopene of any type of fresh produce, at about 15 to 20 milligrams per 2-cup serving. To really maximize your lycopene intake, let your watermelon fully ripen. The redder your watermelon gets, the higher the concentration of lycopene becomes.

Beta-carotene and phenolic antioxidant content also increase as the watermelon ripens. However, all parts of the watermelon —including the white flesh nearest the rind — contain lots of nutrients.

Watermelon also contains a significant amount of the amino acid citrulline, which converts to the amino acid arginine. These amino acids promote blood flow, leading to cardiovascular health, improved circulation, and as some scientists have suggested, erectile dysfunction improvement (you’d probably have to eat a lot of watermelon to get a Viagra-like effect, though).