A new study has found that watermelon juice can help post-exercise muscle soreness.

Encarna Aguayo and colleagues cite past research on watermelon juice`s antioxidant properties and its potential to increase muscle protein and enhance athletic performance.

But scientists had yet to explore the effectiveness of watermelon juice drinks enriched in L-citrulline.

They tested natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched in L-citrulline and a control drink containing no L-citrulline on volunteers an hour before exercise.

Both the natural juice and the enriched juice relieved muscle soreness in the volunteers. L-citrulline in the natural juice (unpasteurized), however, seemed to be more bioavailable - in a form the body could better use, the study found.

The findings have been published in ACS` Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.