Clinical trial · Nutrition · 14 Nov 2026
In 32 young adults, four weeks of watermelon lined up with a lower TMAO reading inside that period
Source: Food Science & Nutrition
What the research found
A randomized crossover food trial was published online on 14 November 2026. 32 adults (16 men and 16 women; mean age 25.6 years, standard deviation 6.0; mean BMI 29.0, standard deviation 3.7) ate 330 g of fresh watermelon a day (100 kcal) or an isocaloric low-fat cookie control for 4 weeks, with a 4-week washout. The sample included people with overweight or obesity. Body weight and BMI moved numerically on watermelon (p=0.056 and p=0.070). TMAO fell from the watermelon baseline (p=0.005), but the week-4 gap versus cookies was not significant (p=0.091). Triglycerides and LDL cholesterol fell after watermelon (p<0.05). TNF-alpha and IL-1beta fell after watermelon (p<0.05). Total antioxidant capacity was higher than with cookies (p=0.022). ICAM-1 was numerically lower (p=0.083). Registry NCT06323070. The between-food TMAO gap was not significant. DOI 10.1002/fsn3.72587. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.
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