Watermelon Increases Satiety and Reduces Body Weight in Obese Individuals

by | Aug 12, 2019 | 2019, Fruits and Vegetables, Obesity, Weight Control

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. Watermelon consumption significantly improved satiety and significantly reduced body weight, BMI, waist/hip circumference, and systolic blood pressure in obese and overweight individuals.

A healthy diet is an essential part losing weight. For those who struggle with obesity, difficulty choosing the palatable foods and the right portion size can be frustrating. Since increased energy intake contributes to obesity, it is important to choose low caloric foods that are dense in order to satisfy hunger without significantly increasing energy intake 1,2.  Fruits and vegetables serve as the best option in this regard 3.  Although not everyone may like the taste of certain diet foods, fruit and veggies abound in various tastes and varieties that are palatable and serve as the perfect snack or meal. Above all, fruits and veggies contain fiber, water, nutrients that prevent cancer and heart disease 4,5.  Since controlling diet significantly can affect weight loss results, changing the way we eat in the smallest way may improve weight loss outcomes 2.  In a recent study observing snacking behavior over a 40 year period, researchers found that snack size, energy per snack, and total energy from snacking significantly increased (p<0.01) from 1977 to 2006. Mainly energy dense snacks were being consumed and data showed a general trend shift away from sweet snacks and desserts including cookies, pies, gelatin to salty snacks like pretzels, crackers, nuts, and chips 6. Therefore, choosing less energy dense snack foods like fruits and vegetables may serve as a viable solution in controlling caloric intake in people who are overweight. Snacking on fruit is convenient, accessible, and affordable approach that can be applied broadly to obese and overweight population. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that fruit consumption is generally associated with lower body weight and thus suitable for weight management 7.  In the current study 8, researchers assessed the effect of snacking on watermelon versus low calorie cookies on satiety, weight change, adiposity, and postprandial glucose and insulin. 

Thirty-three eligible overweight and obese individuals between 18-65 years old were randomly assigned to receive watermelon or a low-calorie cookie (Nilla wafers) to snack on for 4 weeks. After 2-4 week washout, participants were crossed over to the other treatment, which they took for 4 weeks. The caloric amount provided in each treatment (watermelon or Nilla wafers) was 92kcal. Testing was conducted at baseline and at 4 weeks of each treatment period. Following 10 hour fasting, height, weight, waist and hip circumference, and blood pressure were measured. Participants were also given questionnaire measuring satiety and a blood sample was taken to assess glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and antioxidant markers. Individuals were then asked to consume their assigned snack; thereafter the satiety questionnaire was given again at 20, 40, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post snack consumption. A second blood draw was also taken at 60 min post snack consumption.

Results showed a significant reduction in body weight, BMI, waist/hip circumference, and systolic blood pressure following 4 week consumption of watermelon (p≤ 0.05). Furthermore, participants who consumed watermelon expressed greater sense of fullness and satiety compared with Nilla wafer consumption. (p<0.05). Total antioxidant capacity was increased with watermelon consumption compared with Nilla wafer consumption (p=0.003). Also, oxidative stress was lower with watermelon consumption (p=0.034). Findings suggest that snacking on watermelon improves satiety and promotes weight loss. More studies will be needed to confirm these results.

Source: Lum, Tiffany, Megan Connolly, Amanda Marx, Joshua Beidler, Shirin Hooshmand, Mark Kern, Changqi Liu, and Mee Young Hong. “Effects of Fresh Watermelon Consumption on the Acute Satiety Response and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults.” Nutrients 11, no. 3 (2019): 595.

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted August 12, 2019.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

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