Grapefruit is absolutely different with grapes, event it has the same word, because grapefruit including in citrus fruit (Citrus × paradisi). Grapefruit has great characteristics and benefits to health, beauty and diet. According to the study, as reported from Fit Sugar, grapefruit is a fruit which can help burn fat in the body. Including, launch a process of metabolism.
Grapefruit also good for those who are on the diet. Research Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center in California showed that this fruit can eliminate hunger. Substances in it helps burn fat and stabilize blood sugar levels and insulin. Eating half a grapefruit before meals for 12 weeks, you can lose weight as much as 3.3 lbs.
Grapefruit comes in many varieties, determinable by color, which is
caused by the pigmentation of the fruit in respect of both its state of
ripeness. The most popular varieties cultivated today are red, white, and pink hues, referring to the internal pulp color of the fruit. Grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour to semi-sweet fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; and it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock (C. maxima), one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange (C. × sinensis).
9 benefits of grapefruit for health and beauty
The fruit is also suitable for beauty care, especially skin. Because it is rich in vitamin C (read grapefruit nutrition), grapefruit can help collagen production to keep skin supple and toned. The benefit would be optimal if you eat a grapefruit every day. As reported by the Huffington Post, grapefruit has a variety of health benefits. Eating one grapefruit per day can lower bad cholesterol by 15.5% and triglycerides by 27%. Hence, this fruit is good for heart health. For more benefits of grape fruit, you can read it below.
Protect the heart
High anti-oxidant content in grapefruit can lower cholesterol contained in our bodies. And besides if we awake cholesterol then we can protect our heart from heart attacks. According to a study conducted by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, breakfast with fruits that contain high antioxidants is able to lower cholesterol.
Stabilize blood sugar
Studies have shown that substances contained in grapefruit can lower insulin levels. Lower insulin levels which means your body can utilize energy from food consumption be more efficient, not just hoard fat.
Cancer prevention
Grapefruit is rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C, a powerful agent in the fight against free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is associated with various types of cancer. Studies have shown the orange juice is effective against lung cancer by inhibiting the enzyme that activates cancer-causing chemicals. A recent study found a compound in grapefruit can also reduce the risk of prostate cancer, because it helps repair damaged DNA in human prostate cells.
Prevent kidney stones
Grapefruit contains a compound called d-limonene. A substance that can prevent the formation of kidney stones. One study from the British Journal of Nutrition found that women who drank half a liter to a liter of orange juice per day lowered their urine ph level, thus reducing the risk of developing kidney stones.
Reduce cholesterol
A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and performed on 57 patients who had undergone coronary bypass surgery. From these studies demonstrated that those who added a grapefruit into the regular daily diet will reduce the bad cholesterol in the blood as well as triglyceride levels.
Help diet programs
Grapefruit is rich in fiber which makes full longer and help you avoid the desire of enjoying fat snacks. One grapefruit contains only 53 calories (read calories in grapefruit) and 2 grams of fiber. The research also found that eating half a grapefruit before a meal can make you successful diet because it can help you lose more weight.
The smell of grapefruit can help you lose weight. The researchers speculate that the smell of the oil extracted from grapefruit effect on liver enzymes that can help reduce your appetite and make dieting running smoothly. Looks like you should consider choosing grapefruit scented body care products.
Good for the body's metabolism
According to research conducted by the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, California, grapefruit is also good for the body's metabolism. Add grapefruit into your diet, the weight will fall faster.
Tighten the skin
If you regularly eat grapefruit, then you will get the skin smooth and taut. A high content of vitamin C in grapefruit able to produce collagen which keep the skin to remain healthy from the inside.
Smoothing the skin
Use grapefruit to keep skin smooth and soft. You can use this grapefruit by cutting in half, squeeze it, and use the skin to rubbed into the skin. But do not rub the grapefruit into the face, because it can lead to irritation on sensitive skin.
Grapefruit and drug interactions
In addition to grapefruit health benefits, there is also correlation between this fruit with medication. As written in wikipedia, grapefruit can have a number of interactions with drugs, often increasing the effective potency of compounds. Researchers have
identified 85 drugs with which grapefruit is known to have an adverse
reaction. Grapefruit contains a number of polyphenolic compounds, including the flavanone naringin, alongside the two furanocoumarins bergamottin and dihydroxybergamottin. These inhibit the drug-metabolizing enzyme isoform CYP3A4 predominately in the small intestine, but at higher doses also inhibit hepatic CYP3A4. It is via inhibition of this enzyme that grapefruit increases the effects of a variety of drugs by increasing their bioavailability. In particular grapefruit and bitter oranges are known to interact with statins.
