Watermelon Dose Response Blood Pressure Study

The proposed study will be conducted in humans according to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines. All subjects will review and sign an Informed Consent Form approved by the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institutional Review Boards (IRB) prior to screening.

The proposed study is a randomized, three-arm (n=12/arm), single-blinded, placebo-controlled, 4-week, parallel study design in individuals with pre-hypertension (systolic BP ≥ 120-139 mm Hg or a diastolic BP ≥ 80-89 mm Hg).

Pre-Screening: To learn more about the study and to pre-qualify, potential subjects can call the Clinical Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) or visit the website posted on recruitment flyers or from other recruitment materials. If individuals call the CNRC, a staff member will provide a brief background on the study and ask a series of questions from a pre-screening questionnaire to assess eligibility. The same questionnaire is available on the website and can be filled out by potential subjects online. The pre-screening questionnaire includes self-reported information about health status and lifestyle factors that can be used to determine if someone is not eligible for the study.

Screening: Participants will be asked to read, ask questions, sign and date the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved Informed Consent Form (ICF) before any laboratory or study screening procedures begin. Participants will be informed of study procedures and schedules. Once ICF is signed by participant and staff, height, weight and waist circumference measurements, vital signs measurements, body temperature measurements (by contactless thermometer), and a finger prick (to confirm fasting status and blood sugar) will be collected.

Pre-Study Visit: If participants are eligible and willing to continue, a pre-study visit will be scheduled. The pre-study visit is for training on various aspects of the study. Participants will have diet counseling on foods that are rich in the components typically found in watermelon (e.g. tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.). Participants will be asked to avoid these foods for at least 7 days before the first study visit day. There will also be coaching on how to complete a 3-day food record that will be collected at each study visit.

At the Pre-Study Visit study participants will be randomized equally to each test group (n=12/group) according to a computer-generated randomization sequence. Participants will receive one of the three study test beverages:

1. Control (0 g watermelon), 2. Watermelon flesh Dose 1 (WF1, 1 cup watermelon flesh, \~152 g) or 3. Watermelon flesh Dose 2 (WF2, 2 cups watermelon flesh, \~304 g);