Health Benefits

Cantaloupe Gets an A+

Our food ranking system qualified cantaloupe as an excellent sourceof vitamin A on account of its concentrated beta-carotene content. Onceinside the body, beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A, so whenyou eat cantaloupe it's like getting both these beneficial nutrients atonce. One cup of cantaloupe is just 56 calories, but provides 103.2% ofthe daily value for vitamin A. Both vitamin Aand beta-carotene are important vision nutrients. In a study of over50,000 women nurses aged 45 to 67, women who consumed the highestdietary amount of vitamin A had a 39% reduced risk of developingcataracts. In another study that looked at the incidence of cataractsurgery and diet, researchers found that those people who ate dietsthat included cantaloupe had half the risk of cataract surgery, whilethose who ate the highest amounts of butter, salt and total fat hadhigher risks for cataract surgery. Beta-carotene has also been thesubject of extensive research in relationship to cancer prevention andprevention of oxygen-based damage to cells.

Cantaloupe also emerged from our food ranking system as an excellent source of vitamin C.While beta-carotene and vitamin A are fat-soluble antioxidants, vitaminC functions as an antioxidant in the water-soluble areas of the body.So, between its beta-carotene and vitamin C content, cantaloupe has allareas covered against damage from oxygen free radicals. In addition toits antioxidant activity, vitamin C is critical for good immunefunction. Vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, directlykills many bacteria and viruses, and regenerates Vitamin E after it hasbeen inactivated by disarming free radicals. Owing to the multitude ofvitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research hasshown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrientis associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes includingheart disease, stroke and cancer. One cup of cantaloupe contains 112.5%of the daily value for this well-known antioxidant.In our food ranking system, cantaloupe also qualified as a very goodsource of potassium and a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, and niacin(vitamin B3). The combination of all these B complex vitamins alongwith the fiber found in cantaloupe make it an exceptionally good fruitfor supporting energy production through good carbohydrate metabolismand blood sugar stability. These B complex vitamins are required in ourcells for processing carbohydrates (including sugars), and cantaloupe'sfiber helps ensure cantaloupe's sugars are delivered into thebloodstream gradually, keeping blood sugar on an even keel.

Cantaloupe's Pro-vitamin A Promotes Lung Health

If you or someone you love is a smoker, or if you are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-richfoods, such as cantaloupe, part of your healthy way of eating may saveyour life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.

While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lunginflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor ofnutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a commoncarcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin Adeficiency.

Baybutt's earlier research had shown that animals fed a vitaminA-deficient diet developed emphysema. His latest animal studiesindicate that not only does the benzo(a)pyrene in cigarette smoke causevitamin A deficiency, but that a diet rich in vitamin A can helpcounter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema.

Baybutt believes vitamin A's protective effects may helpexplain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. "There are a lot ofpeople who live to be 90 years old and are smokers," he said. "Why?Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those whostart smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin Adeficient and develop complications associated with cancer andemphysema. And if they have a poor diet, forget it."If you or someone you love smokes, or if your work necessitatesexposure to second hand smoke, protect yourself by making sure that atleast one of the World's Healthiest Foods that are rich in vitamin A,such as cantaloupe, is a daily part of your healthy way of eating.

Protect Your Vision with Cantaloupe

Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright asa child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more importantfor keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmologyindicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may loweryour risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary causeof vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consumeless than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

In this study, which involved over 100,000 women and men,researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption offruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; andcarotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, amore severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. Foodintake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years forwomen and 12 years for men.

While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidantvitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence ofeither form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against thesevere form of this vision-destroying disease.

Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day,but by simply slicing some cantaloupe over your morning cereal, toppingoff a cup of yogurt or green salad with a half cup of berries, andsnacking on an apple, plum, nectarine or pear, you've reached thisgoal.

In summer, what could be a more cooling or delicious lunch thanhalf a cantaloupe filled with cottage cheese and topped with yourfavorite nuts and a sprig of mint? It's easy to see how fruit,especially cantaloupe, can become a regular part of your healthy way ofeating.