13 Health Benefits of Grapefruits you never knew
Health benefits of grapefruits are innumerable and encompass all the systems and organs of our body. Grapefruit helps in reducing excessive weight, reduces blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It improves eyesight, cures infections like malaria, and influenza.
It helps in getting rid of digestive complaints like constipation, peptic ulcers or acidity and indigestion. It also helps in treating urinary tract disorders. Apart from so many health benefits of grapefruits, our skin and hair also benefit a lot from the grapefruits.
Grapefruits nutrition facts:
Grapefruits contain myriad nutrients including vitamins and minerals which are highly beneficial for our body. They are rich in dietary fiber which is necessary for maintaining proper digestive health. They have absolutely no cholesterol at all and they won’t lead to obesity problems even if eaten in excess.
Grapefruits have proteins which are the building blocks of our body. They are rich in antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A, C and E. They are also a good source of many other essential vitamins like vitamin K, Vitamin B-complex like Thiamine or vitamin B1, Riboflavin or vitamin B2, Niacin or vitamin B3, Pantothenic acid or vitamin B5, Pyridoxine or vitamin B6 and also folic acid or vitamin B9.
Grapefruits also regulate our heart and brain health due to its electrolytes content like sodium and potassium. Important minerals regulating our body functions are also present in grapefruits in good amounts. They are calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and phosphorus. Lycopene and beta-carotene are also present in grapefruits in adequate amounts.
Health benefits of grapefruits:
1. Grapefruit for Weight loss:
Grapefruits are rich in fiber and they fill up our stomach and make us feel satiated. This avoids unnecessary hunger pangs and food cravings that make us gain weight easily. The fiber in grapefruits also helps in excretion of cholesterol from the liver as part of bile. This cuts down fat content in the body that helps in weight loss.
A study was conducted to see the efficacy of grapefruit extracts in reducing weight. It was concluded that grapefruit extracts were able to reduce weight, control high levels of insulin in the Diabetic subjects and also reduced inflammation in various parts of the body. [1]
The vitamin C content of Grapefruits increases the rate of our metabolism and this aids in weight loss too. Grapefruits stimulate our body to release a hormone called cholecystokinin. This suppresses the appetite and makes us feel less hungry.
To explore the full health benefits of grapefruits for weight loss, use them in various ways in your daily diet. Make them part of your salads, smoothies, milkshakes, and also eat them as your snack. If you eat a grapefruit 30 minutes before your meal, you will feel less hungry and eat less amount of food. Grapefruits also have very low calories.
So, you can eat grapefruits to your satisfaction without any guilt. Grapefruits also reduce the waist circumference as per a research study. [4]
2. Grapefruit for Diabetes:
Grapefruits help in controlling Diabetes to various factors. As per a research study, they help in reducing the blood sugar levels and controlled insulin resistance in Diabetic people. [2] In our body, excess glucose, fats, and proteins are converted into glycogen and stored in the liver. This glycogen is broken down into glucose when needed and this supplies the requisite energy to us.
As per another study, grapefruit juice reduced the conversion of glycogen in the liver to glucose by regulating various enzymes which are a part of it. This helps in preventing high blood sugar spikes in Diabetic people. [3]
Grapefruits contain a flavonoid called Naringin which prevents complications in Diabetic people like Diabetic ketoacidosis. Naringin also helps in reducing oxidative stress in Diabetic people as per a research report. [5] The phytochemicals in grapefruit seeds showed a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar levels in diabetic people as per research reports. [6]
The phytochemicals aiding the regulation of blood sugar levels in Diabetic individuals include flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, tannins and cardiac glycosides. If you are suffering from Diabetes, make sure you eat grapefruits regularly.
3. Health benefits of Grapefruits for cholesterol:
Grapefruits contain high fiber content which assists in the secretion of cholesterol from the liver as part of bile. This helps in getting rid o excess cholesterol. As per a research study, grapefruits have shown to lower the levels of harmful fats or lipids like LDL, VLDL, and triglycerides. [7]
They also helped in increasing the content of helpful fats in the body like HDL. Lowering of harmful fats and increasing the levels of HDL helps in protecting our heart from the risk of various diseases like atherosclerosis, angina and heart attack.
4. Grapefruit for constipation:
People suffering from constipation can surely alleviate their symptoms by consuming grapefruits regularly. Grapefruits contain high fiber content which helps in absorption if water into the intestine, makes stool bulky, soft and easy to pass through the gut. Grapefruits also stimulate the intestinal movements or motility and assists in easy passage of stools.
5. Health benefits of grapefruits for cancer prevention:
Grapefruits prevent various cancers in the body by various mechanisms. As per a study, Grapefruits induce cell death or apoptosis in leukemia cells and control leukemia. This is mainly due to the flavonoids present in grapefruits. [8]
Substances like Obacunone and Obacunone glucoside have shown to kill the cells of prostate cancer and thereby help in treating prostate cancer as per some studies. [9] They can also prevent the development of certain cancers like colon cancer. [10]
Grapefruits are rich in antioxidants like vitamin A, C and E. They help in preventing damage caused by free radicals. This is also one reason behind their cancer prevention properties.
6. Promote Eye health:
Grapefruits are rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene. They help in improving our eye health and vision to a great extent. They prevent the development of night blindness and some other eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. People eating grapefruits regularly are known to suffer less often from eye ailments and impaired vision.
7. Reduces blood pressure:
A study was conducted in postmenopausal women to study the efficacy of grapefruits of blood pressure and arterial stiffness. [11] Grapefruits help in reducing high blood pressure by reducing the stiffness of arteries. This is due to the content of their flavones.
8. Health benefits of grapefruits on heart:
The heart is a very important organ of our body. Our body suffers a lot if even a trivial problem occurs to our heart. Heart diseases are becoming very common these days. May people are suffering from atherosclerosis, angina and heart attack.
People with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol are more prone to develop heart ailments. At least one person in each family is suffering from these problems. Grapefruits help in reducing high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. This helps in preventing heart ailments like atherosclerosis and heart attack.
9. Cure infections:
Grapefruit contains many substances which have antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Grapefruits help us in fighting any kind of infections. They also contain vitamin C in good amounts which help in boosting our immune system, so that we can get rid of infections easily.
Grapefruits can cure viral infections like influenza and relieve symptoms of a runny nose, sneezing, watering eyes, cough, etc. They can also cure malaria due to their quinine content. They also help us in controlling various fevers to a great extent. If you consume grapefruits regularly, you will suffer from infections and fevers less often.
10. Grapefruits for energy:
Grapefruits contain many substances which boost our energy. They contain certain compounds like Nootkatone which promote the ways in which energy is generated in our body. Grapefruits contain many antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A, C, and E which stimulate the immune system and this enhances the energy levels in the body.
Drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruits regularly is a very good way of alleviating fatigue, tiredness, and bodily weakness.
11. Hydrates the body:
Grapefruit contains water in good amount. It is rich in sodium which helps in retention of water in the body. This provides us with adequate water and hydration necessary to support our bodily functions.
Whenever you are performing strenuous activities or during summer months, make sure to eat grapefruits to avoid dehydration.
12. Benefits of grapefruits on skin:
Apart from the innumerable health benefits of grapefruits, its benefits can also be seen on our skin. Our skin suffers every day due to stress, environmental pollution, dust, and lack of adequate nutrition. We need to maintain adequate nutritional supply to make our skin healthy, glowing and radiant.
Grapefruits are rich in vitamin A, C and E. They are natural antioxidants. Antioxidant vitamins in grapefruits fight the free radicals. Free radicals damage our skin and lead to early aging. Signs if aging like fine lines,age spots, and wrinkles develop at an early age due to free radicals. Grapefruits control fine lines, wrinkles and age spots.
The vitamins and minerals in Grapefruits nourish our skin and make it very healthy and beautiful. Grapefruit can also be used as part of a face mask or face pack to make skin radiant.
13. Benefits of grapefruits for hair:
Grapefruits are rich in proteins. Proteins help information of hair and make it very strong and thick. The vitamins and minerals of Grapefruits provide adequate nutrition to the hair and enable healthy growth of hair.
Grapefruits promote blood flow to the hair and scalp and facilitate their growth. Grapefruit extracts and the extracts of grapefruit seeds have antibacterial activity. They kill harmful bacteria causing scalp disorders including dandruff.
Dandruff is caused due to clogging of pores on the scalp with sebum or oil, bacteria, and dead cells. As Grapefruits kill dandruff causing bacteria, dandruff formation also diminishes to a great extent.
Precautions:
1. Certain compounds in grapefruits interact with cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins and blood pressure lowering drugs like calcium channel blockers. If you are suffering from such diseases and taking these drugs, consult your doctor for advice before eating grapefruits.
2. Grapefruits interact with certain blood pressure-lowering medications like Nifedipine and reduce blood pressure very drastically. So, if you taking Nifedipine for hypertension, make sure you don’t eat grapefruits or consult your doctor for dose reduction of Nifedipine.
You have seen all the health benefits of grapefruits on our body. Tell us how do you eat grapefruits regularly? Which types of grapefruit do you like the most? How have they improved your health?
