Watermelon is seen as a favorite summer treat. Now, though, it turns out that the fruit may be better for you than you might have once though. Researchers have found that watermelon can significantly reduce blood pressure in overweight individuals both at rest and while under stress.

More people die of heart attacks in cold weather because the stress of cold temperatures causes blood pressure to increase. This increase in pressure causes the heart to work harder to pump blood into the aorta, which often leads to less blood flow to the heart. This means that people with obesity and high blood pressure face a higher risk for stroke or heart attack when exposed to the cold.

In order to test what might help lower blood pressure, the researchers turned to watermelon. The scientists focused on 13 middle-aged, obese men and women who suffered from high blood pressure. They then simulated cold weather conditions by dipping the hand of the volunteers' into cold water while the researchers took measurements. The scientists then gave part of the group watermelon extract for a number of weeks while giving the other group a placebo.

"The pressure on the aorta and on the heart decreased after consuming watermelon extract," said Arturo Figueroa, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The findings reveal that eating watermelon can have a positive effect on aortic blood pressure and other vascular parameters. More specifically, the volunteers actually showed improvements even when exposed to the cold water.

So want to lower your blood pressure? You may want to chow down on some more watermelon. It turns out that the fruit can be good for you and your heart.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Hypertension.