ABSTRACT
Currently, there is signicant interest among scientists and society as a whole with respect to human health as affected by diet. In particular, there is a signicant push to identify mechanisms and ways fresh fruits and vegetables can help humans combat many of the health problems that currently exist. It has become apparent even in this age that synthetic pharmaceuticals are not always capable of sufciently managing problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. The use of diet is becoming increasingly necessary with the high amount of cardiovascular disease in this country and throughout other places in the world. There have been various species identied that contain secondary compounds potentially benecial to human health. In this chapter, we will focus on species in the family, Cucurbitaceae. Specically, we will discuss the scientic literature regarding benets associated with the consumption of crops such as watermelon and cantaloupe and how they impact cardiovascular health.
