Supporting Liver Health With Cantaloupe

Overview 

Did you know annually, liver disease causes 2 million deaths worldwide?¹ 

The liver eliminates toxins, produces blood clotting factors and bile helping digestion of food and regulates glucose uptake and release and the immune response by clearing foreign microorganisms.²

Cantaloupe and its benefits for the liver

Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) is a fruit with orange flesh and a grey-green rind.³

It has multiple benefits for the liver which include being;

• Anti-inflammatory³
• Antioxidant³
• Anticytotoxic³
• Vitamins A, K, E, B and C rich⁴
• Fibrous⁴
• Composed of 90% water for hydration and liver detoxification⁴
• Cholesterol-free⁴
• Potassium-rich which decreases cholesterol and hypertension reducing chances of liver disease⁴

Nutritional values of cantaloupe 

Cantaloupe nutrient content 

Data shown in Tables 1,2 and 3 below from FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture shows nutrients in a 100g serving of cantaloupe.⁴

Table 1. Macronutrient content.

Table 2. Vitamin content.

Table 3. Mineral content.

Antioxidants in cantaloupe

Antioxidants counteract oxidative stress (a state where antioxidants are low and free radicals cannot be detoxified which causes cell damage).⁵ If the liver has no defence against free radicals produced by converting toxins to waste products it will become damaged.⁵

 Antioxidants in cantaloupe include;

• Beta-carotene⁶
• Vitamin E
• Lutein and zeaxanthin⁷
• Lycopene

Liver functions, diseases and importance

Functions of the liver 

The functions of the liver include;

• Blood coagulation factor synthesis reducing excessive bleeding (for example from wounds)²
• Excretion of old waste products. Old red blood cells are metabolised to bilirubin, which is conjugated in the liver and secreted into bile which is excreted through faeces²
• Storage of fat-soluble vitamins, cholesterol and glycogen. Glycogen is released as glucose to increase glucose levels and the liver will remove excessive glucose in the blood by storing it as glycogen²
• Detoxification of toxins. Alcohol is metabolised by enzymes to produce acetaldehyde (a cancer-causing substance), then to acetate and finally to carbon dioxide and water. Other toxins include drugs, pesticides, herbicides and pathogens²
• Producing bile. Bile absorbs fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Waste products are eliminated via bile²
• Microorganism elimination by liver hepatocytes and immune cells^2,8 

Common liver diseases

Globally, liver disease accounts for the loss of 2 million lives each year, 1 million from chronic liver disease and 1 million from viral hepatitis and liver cancer.¹

Fatty liver disease 

• Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are conditions in which scarring of liver tissue occurs, due to excessive alcohol consumption, being overweight, increased cholesterol and hypertension⁹
• NAFLD can progress from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to fibrosis, and cirrhosis, which can lead to liver failure if untreated and liver cancer⁹

Hepatitis 

• Hepatitis strains are caused by viruses, excessive alcohol use or can be autoimmune related⁹
• Autoimmune hepatitis — caused by the hepatitis virus invading liver parenchyma cells, which the immune cells of the body recognise as foreign and initiates an autoimmune response leading to liver inflammation⁹

Importance of maintaining liver health

An unhealthy liver can lead to consequences which include;

• Limited/no liver excretion. Accumulation of toxins causes toxicity in the body²
• Limited immune response against microorganisms/antigens^2,8
• Dysregulated blood glucose levels, which leads to high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) related health conditions²
• No blood clotting. The liver produces blood clotting factors²
• Bile is not excreted or produced. This leads to vitamin A, D, E and K deficiencies and can affect food digestion²

Cantaloupe for liver health 

Function of antioxidants for optimal liver health

A study was carried out on cantaloupe melon extracts added to macrophages which were challenged for initiating an immune response.¹⁰ TNF-alpha, free radicals (which are pro-inflammatory) and IL-10 (which is anti-inflammatory) levels released from macrophages were measured.¹⁰ Results showed;

• Cantaloupe melon extracts inhibited in a dose-dependent manner the production of superoxide anion (a free radical)¹⁰
• The antioxidant effect of cantaloupe melon extract was related to superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as the inhibitory activity of the extract decreased after rendering the SOD enzyme non-functional¹⁰
• Production of anti-inflammatory molecules (IL-10) from macrophages propagated by SOD activity¹⁰ 

Other studies on antioxidant impact on liver health show;

• Vitamins C and E, lutein and zeaxanthin scavenge free radicals, reducing inflammation which is seen in NAFLD, hepatitis and liver cancer¹¹ 
• Lycopene reduced liver pro-inflammatory proteins TNF-α and IL-6 and inhibited the NLRP3 inflammasome implicated in causing liver inflammation in NAFLD mice¹² 

Nutrients in cantaloupe promoting liver detox 

Cantaloupe contains; 

• Water and electrolytes for flushing away liver toxins 
• Vitamin B is required for toxin methylation (addition of a methyl/CH₃ group) in the liver to indicate they are a toxin and promote their removal, which is part of liver detoxification¹³ 
• Vitamin K is required to produce blood clotting factors to prevent toxins (e.g. microorganisms) from entering into open wounds⁴

Contribution of cantaloupe in decreasing liver inflammation

• Hepatoprotective anti-inflammatory enzyme superoxide dismutase breaks down free radicals to hydrogen peroxide.⁵ Hydrogen peroxide is broken down by detoxifying/antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and catalase to form water⁵

Fibre in cantaloupe;

• Promotes weight loss by feeling satiated (being overweight predisposes a person to fatty liver disease)¹⁴
• Aids excretion of waste products 

Research evidence 

Clinical trials studying the effects of cantaloupe on liver function

An experiment using superoxide dismutase-enriched cantaloupe mixed with wheat gliadin (Melon GliSODin^®) was tested in mouse liver tissue, compared to high fat and high cholesterol diet (HC) mice.¹⁵ Findings included;

• Diet-induced NASH-related liver inflammation was reduced at the gene expression level in mice, there was no gain of weight and a reduction of triglycerides in the Melon GliSODin^® mice compared to HC mice¹⁵
• An oxidative stress marker, TBARS in the liver had lower values in the Melon GliSODin^® group compared to the HC and control group mice¹⁵ 
• Gene expression of glutathione peroxidase was increased in the Melon GliSODin^® mice¹⁵ 

Cantaloupe in the diet

Cantaloupe recipe ideas and precautions for consumption

Recipes that include cantaloupe are smoothies, fruit and vegetable salads, cantaloupe sorbet and ice lollies. 

Diabetes patients should adjust serving sizes accordingly as cantaloupe contains high sugars, 100g provides 7.86g of sugar.⁴ 

Cantaloupe contains high levels of potassium therefore patients with kidney disease should be wary.¹⁶

Exercise and diet for liver health

Importance of hydration and exercise for liver function 

Studies show aerobic and resistance exercise (taking a walk, running, cycling and swimming) benefits liver health by decreasing liver fat content through improving insulin resistance therefore preventing the production of fatty acids from glucose to decrease fatty acid accumulation which leads to NAFLD.¹⁷ 

To remain hydrated and allow for detoxification of blood which is filtered by the liver from toxins and subsequently excreted, 6-8 glasses of water are recommended. 

Lifestyle modifications for a healthy liver

Lifestyle modifications aid liver health.

These include;

• Consuming 12 units of alcohol per week 
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing sugar consumption
• Reducing processed food consumption, switch to oven-baked, microwaved or air-fried foods
• Limiting salt consumption 

Summary

Cantaloupe contains many nutrients to support liver health. Cantaloupe also provides vitamins and minerals for storage by the liver for use throughout the body.

Cantaloupe can be used in smoothies, salads and sorbets.

Future studies

Mouse model research will need to translate into human beings, as mouse and human physiology are different in terms of measuring the beneficial impacts of cantaloupe consumption on liver health.