Grapefruit May Have More Vitamin A Than An Orange
One-half of one grapefruit contains 28% of your daily value of vitamin A , or far more than the 4% in oranges, says Delbridge. This first vitamin in the alphabet is good for your eyes, not to mention your heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs.
What’s more, you also get 64% of your vitamin C, 8% of your fiber, a bit of calcium and iron , and you start to understand why it’s called a superfood. Why eat a half a grapefruit when you can eat a whole one?
Health Benefits Of Grapefruit
Citrus fruits are great sources of pectin and help support healthy cholesterol levels. If youre looking to add more citrus to your diet, a particularly good addition is grapefruit. This fruit is rich in glutathione, an antioxidant which neutralizes free radicals that can damage cell walls and contribute to the development of heart disease. Enjoy a grapefruit with your breakfast for a heart-healthy start to your day.
Does Grapefruit Affect Cholesterol
Because resting and activated platelets look so distinctive you can simply take blood from humans and rely how many are resting and what number of are activated earlier than and after people consume greater than a pint of strawberries every day for a month, and theres a small but good sized drop in the percentage of activated platelets circulating throughout their our bodies after the strawberries.
Studies have proven daily aspirin can lessen heart attacks and strokes, however, aspirin also can cause intense gastrointestinal disturbances and bleeding troubles, so should now not be used for the primary prevention of heart attacks and stroke, as the blessings dont truely outweigh the severe dangers, so its first-class to have secure, facet-effect unfastened alternatives.
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Can I Eat Grapefruit While Taking Atorvastatin
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Herein, can I eat grapefruit in the morning and take Lipitor at night?
The effect on drug metabolism can last for several days, so taking your statin at night and your grapefruit juice the next morning wont solve the problem. Grapefruit is known to affect three of the drugs in this class: simvastatin , lovastatin , and atorvastatin .
Secondly, which medications should not be taken with grapefruit? Dont drink grapefruit juice if youre taking any of these medications, unless advised to by your doctor:
- Some statins : lovastatin , atorvastatin , simvastatin .
- Antihistamines: fexofenadine
Subsequently, one may also ask, which statins are safe with grapefruit?
So, its safe to continue enjoying your grapefruit with pravastatin , rosuvastatin , fluvastatin , and pitavastatin . If you love grapefruit or grapefruit juice and your provider recommends that you start taking a statin, one of these may be a good option for you.
What foods should be avoided when taking statins?
With some statins, drinking grapefruit juice, or eating grapefruit, is a bad idea. Grapefruit juice can cause that statin to stay in your body much longer, and the drug can build up. This can increase the risk of muscle breakdown, liver damage, and even kidney failure.
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Red Grapefruit Juice To Lower Bp And Cholesterol
It is not well known that grapefruit can naturally lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
This is surprising because a small 2006 Israeli study clearly demonstrated a link between grapefruit consumption and reductions in both blood pressure and cholesterol. While it was a small study and 10+ years ago, the logic still holds that eating red grapefruity can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol
Why the lack of information about how to naturally lower blood pressure and cholesterol with grapefruit? A jaded view would say its easier for doctors to prescribe statins and/or blood pressure medications. A less jaded view would be that hypertension and high cholesterol are too serious to leave people to treat it naturally and indeed some folks might not be vigilant enough.
But I think a very-well monitored first attempt to get hypertension and cholesterol under control with lifestyle changes is vital. Why take statins or blood pressure medications if simply adding grapefruit on a daily basis works for you? Currently, the first medical directive for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol focuses solely on reducing saturated fat and salt. I think adding grapefruitespecially red grapefruitshould be discussed as a first-step, physician-monitored plan.
So if you do not take a statin, hypertension or other medication , consider adding red grapefruit or red grapefruit juice to your daily diet to help naturally lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
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How Does Grapefruit Interact With Medicines
Eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice can cause some medicines to enter your body faster. This makes it more likely that you will have side effects from the medicine.
Interactions can happen up to three days after eating or drinking grapefruit. This means you cannot drink grapefruit juice in the morning and take your medications later in the day to stop possible medicine interactions.
Simvastatin And The Grapefruit Connection
Reading Time: 2minutes Simvastatin and the Grapefruit Connection Simvastatin and the Grapefruit Connection came up today. I was picking up my prescription as usual. But this time the pharmacists assistant had me talk to the pharmacist about the prescription drug. This time it was about Simvastatin. They informed me not to eat any grapefruit. But I do love Read More »
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When To Contact A Doctor
If a person is taking statins and enjoys consuming grapefruit, they should discuss this with a doctor. A healthcare professional can advise whether it is safe to consume this fruit alongside their particular medication.
People should also speak with a doctor as soon as possible if they take statins and are experiencing
- muscle weakness
It May Benefit Your Immune System
Eating grapefruit regularly may be beneficial for your immune system.
Its prized for its high vitamin C content. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties known to protect your cells from harmful bacteria and viruses .
Additionally, studies have shown vitamin C to be beneficial for helping people recover more quickly from the common cold .
Many other vitamins and minerals found in grapefruit are known to benefit immunity, including vitamin A. Vitamin A has been shown to help protect against inflammation and several infectious diseases .
Grapefruit also provides small amounts of B vitamins, zinc, copper, and iron. These all work together in the body to promote immune system function. They also help maintain the integrity of your skin, which acts as a protective barrier to infection (
Grapefruit contains a decent amount of fiber 2 grams in half of a medium-sized fruit .
Additionally, grapefruit contains few calories but lots of water, which is another characteristic known to help with weight loss .
Several studies have found weight-reducing effects associated with consuming grapefruit. For instance, one study found that participants experienced a reduced waist size when they consumed grapefruit daily with their meals .
However, there were no significant differences in the reduction of waist size between the study participants who drank water, those who ate grapefruit, and those who drank grapefruit juice.
Insulin resistance occurs when your cells stop responding to insulin.
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Healthy Homemade Grapefruit Juice
Oh, kay, healthy foodie lover, how are you doing this beautiful day? Its a fruit on the menu kind of day, and I am falling heads over heels with grapefruit! The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus fruit that is largely known for its sweet and bitter taste. Not sure if sour taste perfectly describes how this fruit tastes. Grapefruit juice is juice from grapefruit this juice is rich in antioxidants, healthy nutrients, and minerals. The inside of the grapefruit is segmented just like other citrus fruits. Please permit me to quickly show you how to make the best homemade grapefruit juice that you will actually love!
Is Grapefruit Bad For Cholesterol
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Medical Disclaimer:
Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that each post may contain affiliate and/orreferral links, in which I receive a very small commission for referring readers to these companies.
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Other Benefits Of Grapefruit
Cancer
Several studies have shown that the consumption of citrus fruit, including grapefruit, is linked to the prevention of certain types of cancer, such as esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the colon, mouth, and pharynx. According to one of these studies, moderate consumption of citrus fruit would reduce the risk of cancers affecting the digestive tract and the upper respiratory system. With specific regard to pancreatic cancer, studies, however, remain controversial.
Cancer
Antioxidant compounds in citrus fruits have demonstrated anti-cancer effects in vitro and in animals. They could decrease the proliferation of cancer cells of the breast, stomach, lung, mouth, and colon.
Glycemia and weight loss
In obese individuals with Metabolic Syndrome, eating grapefruit resulted in significant weight loss compared to a control group . It also significantly reduced their insulin resistance. In diabetic animals, naringin supplementation allowed significantly reduce the glucose blood. This compound may play a role in preventing hyperglycemia.
Inflammation
Several studies have shown that grapefruit flavonoids have anti-inflammatory properties. They would inhibit the synthesis and activity of mediators involved in inflammation .
Watch out for drug interactions!
Medical Disclaimer
It May Reduce The Risk Of Kidney Stones
Consuming grapefruit may reduce your risk of developing kidney stones, which result from a buildup of waste materials in the kidneys.
These waste materials are products of metabolism that are typically filtered through the kidneys and removed from the body in urine.
However, when they crystallize in the kidneys, they become stones. Larger kidney stones may cause a blockage in the urinary system, which can be incredibly painful.
The most common type of kidney stone is calcium oxalate stones. Citric acid, an organic acid found in grapefruit, may be effective at preventing them by binding with calcium in your kidneys and flushing it out of your body .
Also, citric acid has the ability to increase the volume and pH of your urine, producing an environment that is less favorable to the formation of kidney stones (
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Red Grapefruit Appears To Lower Cholesterol Fight Heart Disease
- Date:
- American Chemical Society
- Summary:
- A grapefruit a day — particularly the red variety — can help keep heart disease at bay, according to a new study by Israeli researchers. In a controlled study group of patients with heart disease, the scientists found that feeding some patients the equivalent of one grapefruit daily significantly reduced levels of cholesterol in comparison to patients that did not eat grapefruit. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.
A grapefruit a day particularly the red variety can help keep heart disease at bay, according to a new study by Israeli researchers. In a controlled study group of patients with heart disease, the scientists found that feeding some patients the equivalent of one grapefruit daily significantly reduced levels of cholesterol in comparison to patients that did not eat grapefruit. Chronic high blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.
The study, which strengthens a growing body of evidence supporting the heart-healthy benefits of eating citrus fruit, was published Feb. 3 on the website of the American Chemical Societys Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . The findings come at an appropriate time: The month of February has been designated as American Heart Month and heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. The study will appear in the journals March 22 print issue.
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Grapefruit May Speed Weight Loss
Several studies have shown that people who eat half a fresh grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice before each meal lose more weight than people who do not.
Not all studies have shown the same weight-loss benefit and scientists don’t know if the effect seen in the studies was specifically due to grapefruitor filling up on a low-calorie food in generalbut fruits and vegetables should always be part of your strategy to lose or maintain weight.
What is 100% ironclad fact: Grapefruit delivers a lot of nutrition and water for very few calories: there are just 39 calories in one half of a grapefruit. So it’s a great choice if you want to boost your intake of high nutrient, low calorie foods.
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Properties Naringenin In Grapefruit Against High Cholesterol
The hypocholesterolemic properties of naringenin, which is responsible for the bitter taste of grapefruit, have already been demonstrated in animal models, but also in a small clinical study cited by researchers: in about thirty hypercholesterolemic patients, this substance has reduced by 17% LDL-cholesterol . This decline is certainly lower than that obtained by current treatments, but it is significant. In trying to identify its mechanism of action, they saw that naringenin was acting on targets identical to those of fibrates and statins .
According to research carried out by a group of scientists from the Brock University of Canada and published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, it is suggested that:
Naringenin can also be found in orange, tangerine, and lemon, although it is in grapefruit, and specifically in red grapefruit where it is in higher concentration.
Bonus With Red Grapefruit
The red grapefruit group also improved their triglycerides . Triglycerides didn’t change much for the other two groups, write Gorinstein and colleagues.
Red grapefruit has more antioxidants than white grapefruit, the researchers note. They call for more studies to see if those antioxidants deserve the credit for the study’s findings, or if there’s another explanation.
Meanwhile, Gorinstein’s team writes that a daily red grapefruit might be a helpful addition to a heart-friendly, low-fat diet for people with high cholesterol. But remember to check with your doctor first if you take any medicine, even if it’s not a cholesterol-lowering drug. Other types of medications that can interact with grapefruit juice include drugs for blood pressure, heart rhythm, depression, anxiety, HIV, immunosuppression, allergies, impotence, and seizures.
Show Sources
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
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Eating Grapefruit May Improve Heart Health
Regularly consuming grapefruit is thought to improve heart health by reducing risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.
In one study, people who ate grapefruit 3 times daily for 6 weeks experienced significant reductions in blood pressure over the course of the study. They also showed improvements in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels .
These effects are likely due to the important nutrients that grapefruit contains, which play a role in keeping your heart functioning properly.
First, grapefruit is fairly high in potassium, a mineral responsible for many aspects of heart health. Half a grapefruit provides about 5% of your daily potassium needs .
Adequate potassium intake is associated with a reduced risk of high blood pressure. Additionally, it has been shown to lower the risk of death from heart disease .
Second, the fiber in grapefruit may also boost heart health, given that a high fiber intake is associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Overall, researchers claim that including fiber and antioxidant-rich fruits like grapefruit as part of a healthy diet helps protect against conditions like heart disease and stroke .
Summary
Grapefruit contains nutrients and antioxidants shown to help protect the heart by regulating blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- ).
Grapefruit Pomegranate Juice Not A Good Mix With Statins
Pomegranate juice, like grapefruit juice, may pose health risks with drugs.
April 23, 2009 Recently, I talked about a study on Good Morning America showing that although statins effectively reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, they also appear to reduce patients levels of energy and activity. I discussed five ways to deal with the problem of low energy or fatigue while on statins.
The response was tremendous, and I have learned what my own patients have been telling me for some time not all people tolerate statins without side effects. Complaints of memory problems, fatigue, low energy and muscle weakness were fairly common although with more than 13 million users, it is hard to know how many people suffer overall.
Yet, giving people the heads-up that side effects can occur while on statins is important. I believe many patients are led to think they are crazy when their doctors tell them that the symptoms arent likely from statins, or the doctors wrongly attribute the symptoms to something else rather than try to stop the statins, lower the dose or switch to another brand.
So many doctors believe the statin drugs are so safe and effective that the joke, or discussion, in the medical community is that perhaps most healthy adults would benefit from a low dose of statins just to prevent heart disease.
Perhaps we should put statins in the drinking water, a few will suggest.
As always, I welcome your questions and comments.
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Does Grapefruit Juice Lower Cholesterol
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. Likewise, people ask, why is grapefruit bad for cholesterol?
10, 2006 — Grapefruit — especially red grapefruit — may improve cholesterol, according to a new study. Grapefruit’s interaction with certain medications can cause levels of medicine to rise in the body and lead to serious side effects.
Secondly, which nuts are good for lowering cholesterol? Certain nuts, like almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts, can reduce LDL cholesterol. Studies on nut consumption have shown that eating tree nuts can improve blood pressure and reduce inflammation, which are both factors that can contribute to heart disease.
Similarly, it is asked, does grapefruit juice lower blood pressure?
The answer is yes! Ruby red grapefruit can help to naturally lower blood pressure. Red grapefruits also contain high potassium levels that help neutralize the negative effects of sodium.
Which statins are safe with grapefruit?
So, it’s safe to continue enjoying your grapefruit with pravastatin , rosuvastatin , fluvastatin , and pitavastatin . If you love grapefruit or grapefruit juice and your provider recommends that you start taking a statin, one of these may be a good option for you.