Watermelon Juice May Prevent Sore Muscles From Exercise, Study Suggests

The next time you fit in an intense workout, don't reach for the Icy Hot — reach for your juicer.

According to a small study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, drinking watermelon juice can prevent muscle fatigue after intense exercise because of  the amino acid L-citrulline, Nature World News reported.

The study stated that the amino acid reduced muscle soreness after 24 hours, by lessening build-up of lactic acid, as well as helped to reduce heart rate recovery time in athletes. During the study, participants drank either a pitcher of watermelon juice or a pitcher of a pink placebo before intense exercise, according to Nature World News. Those who drank the watermelon juice had less muscle soreness.

The juice also aided sore muscles better than water simple spiked with the amino acid, which leads researchers to believe this is the optimum choice of intake according to Nature World News. Because of this, researchers are interested in building a sports drink containing watermelon juice.