Health Benefits of Grapefruit

The grapefruit is a citrus fruit that resulted from the accidental crossing of an orange with a pummelo. Grapefruits come in white, golden (or blonde), pink and red varieties. Adding grapefruit to your diet provides many health benefits. It benefits the heart, helps reduce the risk of cancer, detoxifies and aids in weight loss.

Heart Health Benefits

• A study conducted by scientists at Harvard University concluded that drinking one glass of grapefruit juice or eating half a grapefruit daily reduced a person's stroke risk by 25 percent and lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by 33 percent. Another study indicated that both golden and red grapefruit varieties reduce LDL cholesterol levels, and red grapefruit reduces levels of triglycerides.

Anti-Cancer Benefits

• Grapefruits are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant. Lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, including ovarian, cervical, breast, prostate and colon cancer. One study showed that men who ate lycopene-rich food items such as grapefruits were 82 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Detoxifying Benefits

• Grapefruit is an abundant source of limonoid, a phytochemical. Limonoids increase the function of detoxifying enzymes in the liver. These enzymes help the liver make toxic chemicals more water soluble, allowing them to be excreted from the body.

Weight-Loss Benefits

• A study conducted by scientists at Johns Hopkins University found that people who had two servings of grapefruit or grapefruit juice daily along with a low-fat and low-calorie diet lost an average of 19 pounds over a period of 13 weeks.

Warning

• Grapefruit is known to interact with certain medications. Those who are taking medications to control their cholesterol should especially avoid eating grapefruit. Statin drugs are known to interact with substances in grapefruits, leading to serious complications, including muscle toxicity.