Grapefruit contains an abundance of phytochemicals with biological activity, including various flavonoids, carotenoids, and coumarins. Naringenin is the predominant flavonoid in grapefruit and is often considered the major bioactive compound.[1] Compounds in grapefruit have been linked to various health-promoting effects, including antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-obesity, and antidiabetic properties.[2][3][4]
Naringenin and a few other compounds in grapefruit activate the enzyme AMPK. AMPK helps regulate metabolism, and its activation increases the breakdown of glucose and fats and decreases their synthesis.[5][6] This may be a driver of the antidiabetic, lipid-modulating, and weight-lowering effects of grapefruit. However, fiber and other nutritional compounds in grapefruit likely also play a role.[6]
Grapefruit may lower blood pressure by promoting the dilation of blood vessels possibly by increasing the synthesis of nitric oxide.[7][6]
References
- ^Hung WL, Suh JH, Wang YChemistry and health effects of furanocoumarins in grapefruit.J Food Drug Anal.(2017 Jan)
- ^Saini RK, Ranjit A, Sharma K, Prasad P, Shang X, Gowda KGM, Keum YSBioactive Compounds of Citrus Fruits: A Review of Composition and Health Benefits of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, Limonoids, and Terpenes.Antioxidants (Basel).(2022 Jan 26)
- ^Khalil MNA, Farghal HH, Farag MAOutgoing and potential trends of composition, health benefits, juice production and waste management of the multi-faceted Grapefruit Citrus Χ paradisi: A comprehensive review for maximizing its value.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr.(2022)
- ^Cirmi S, Maugeri A, Ferlazzo N, Gangemi S, Calapai G, Schumacher U, Navarra MAnticancer Potential of Citrus Juices and Their Extracts: A Systematic Review of Both Preclinical and Clinical Studies.Front Pharmacol.(2017)
- ^Zygmunt K, Faubert B, MacNeil J, Tsiani ENaringenin, a citrus flavonoid, increases muscle cell glucose uptake via AMPK.Biochem Biophys Res Commun.(2010 Jul 23)
- ^Onakpoya I, O'Sullivan J, Heneghan C, Thompson MThe effect of grapefruits (Citrus paradisi) on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr.(2017 Feb 11)
- ^Kevin O'Gallagher, Sarah Borg Cardona, Callum Hill, Ali Al-Saedi, Fawzia Shahed, Christopher N Floyd, Karen McNeill, Charlotte E Mills, Andrew J WebbGrapefruit juice enhances the systolic blood pressure-lowering effects of dietary nitrate-containing beetroot juiceBr J Clin Pharmacol.(2021 Feb)