Do Watermelon Cause Diarrhea? 3 COMMON Reasons

Watermelon is vital for an optimal diet as it is high in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Yet, many people wonder "do watermelon cause diarrhea?" when it comes to overeating this fruit. In fact, overeating anything, including fruits, can have a number of negative consequences.

So, this article discusses the negative effects of eating too much watermelon and explains some myths about watermelon's impact on your diet.

Do watermelon cause diarrhea?

Do Watermelon Cause Diarrhea?

As delicious as they are, some people experience diarrhea after eating watermelon. The 3 main reasons are listed below.

Fructose malabsorption

The first and most common cause of diarrhea caused by watermelon is fructose malabsorption.

Fructose is known as a sugar that exists in numerous plants but in the highest concentrations in fruits. Fructose malabsorption occurs when your intestines are unable to break down fructose effectively during digestion. 

Fructose is normally absorbed in the small intestine, but if it is not appropriately absorbed, it may travel to the large intestine and be fermented by bacteria, potentially causing cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.

This condition is a common symptom of larger conditions such as IBS, but it can also occur on its own.

According to Traditional Oven, there is approximately 6g of sugar in 100g of raw, natural watermelon, of which 3.36g is fructose.

Eating watermelon may cause fructose malabsorption

In addition, due to its fructose content, water is considered a high FODMAP food, which is a group of fermentable short-chain carbs that are either indigestible or slowly absorbed in the small intestine.

Lycopene

Lycopene is a carotenoid that provides fruits like watermelon their red color and according to the American Cancer Society, consuming more than 30 mg of lycopene per day may cause indigestion, bloating, and diarrhea... 

Watermelon contains approximately 9-13 mg of lycopene per 1.5 cups. As stated by a June 2014 study published in the EXCLI Journal, red-fleshed watermelon has 40% more lycopene than tomatoes.

Noting that other fruits like pink grapefruit and tomatoes also contain it, the amount watermelon gives can put you over the unofficial 30 mg threshold.

Watermelon contains a large percentage of lycopene

Also read: 10 best recipes with Coca-Cola

High water content

Watermelons contain approximately 92% water, which is quite high and is most likely why they have the word 'water' in their name.

In fact, this is not likely to lead to diarrhea, but foods with high water content may potentially encourage bowel movements and may tip the scales too far in that direction.

What Are Other Side Effects of Eating Too Much Watermelon?

Although it may not cause things like poison watermelon, watermelon in large quantities can still be harmful to your health. Here are some of the negative effects of eating a lot of watermelon.

5 main disadvantages of overeating watermelons

Raise your blood sugar levels

Watermelon has a high glycemic index (GI) besides its high FODMAP content. As a result, eating too much watermelon may cause your blood sugar levels to rise, which is especially important if you have diabetes.

High GI foods (GI levels greater than 70) are likely to spike blood sugar levels, whereas low GI foods (GI levels less than 55) make a steady rise.

The GI of watermelons ranges from 72-80, which is high.

Watermelon is a high-GI food

Whereas the GI may reveal how your blood sugar reacts to a specific carbohydrate-containing food, the glycemic load (GL) takes into account the serving size, making it a more precise measure of a food's impact on your blood sugar levels.

Despite being a low GL food (a GL of 5-6 per cup (152 grams), eating too much watermelon will raise its GL, most likely resulting in a blood sugar spike.

Thus, monitoring your blood sugar is critical if you have diabetes.

Cause skin’s orange discoloration

Though rare, one study discovered that eating too much watermelon can be associated with lycopenemia, a yellow-orange skin discoloration that is a variant of carotenemia.

As previously stated, lycopene is an antioxidant as well as a pigment and is responsible for the distinctive red color of watermelons as well as other fruits and vegetables.

It may accumulate in the outer layers of your skin and change the pigmentation of your skin if excessively consumed.

Luckily, lycopenaemia is a rare but completely reversible condition. Its skin-damaging effects can be totally reversed by limiting your intake of lycopene-rich foods such as watermelon.

Cause overhydration or water intoxication

Water intoxication, also known as overhydration, is a condition in which the body has an excess of water, resulting in sodium loss. 

Over-consuming watermelon can cause overhydration

Watermelon consumption in large quantities may raise the level of water in your body. 

Unless the excess water is excreted, it can cause an increase in blood volume, resulting in exhaustion, swelling in the legs, weak kidneys, and other symptoms.

It may also cause a decrease in sodium levels in the body.

Cause cardiovascular problems

Watermelon is a good source of potassium, which is an important nutrient that plays many roles in keeping the body healthy. 

It assists in preserving electrolyte function, keeping the heart healthy, and strengthening your muscles and bones. It tastes well when it goes with things like Coca Cola 750Ml as well.

That being said, too much potassium can cause cardiovascular problems such as low pulse rate, irregular heartbeat, etc.

Increase the risk of developing liver inflammation

Eating watermelon too much can affect liver inflammation

Individuals who frequently consume alcohol should avoid eating large amounts of watermelon because the high level of lycopene may interact with alcohol, leading to liver inflammation. 

Excessive oxidative stress can be harmful to the liver as well.

How Much Watermelon Is Too Much?

Watermelon is a healthy and safe fruit, and nutritionists have not established an unsafe intake limit. Despite that, if you want to keep your blood sugar levels low, you should limit your intake.

In terms of blood sugar levels, a 4-cup (608-gram) serving of watermelon has a high glycemic index and contains 46 grams of carbs, 36 of which are sugar. This may result in an increase in your blood sugar levels.

In this case, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises about 2 cups of fruit per day for people who are following a standard 2,000-calorie diet.

It equates to about 300 grams of watermelon.

The ideal watermelon intake

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