The Health Benefits of Grapefruit

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As a citrus fruit, grapefruit is full of vitamin C, although this is not the only one benefit that you can enjoy eating or drinking grapefruit (juice). Grapefruit has other very important benefits for your health. Please find some of them below:

1. Grapefruit Helps in Preventing Cancer

The pigment responsible for the grapefruit's red color is Lycopene, which is the powerful agent preventing you from tumors and cancers. It works best with vitamins A and C - found also in the fruit. There is another antioxidant compound in grapefruit helping damaged DNA repair in prostate cancer cells and it is called Naringenin. DNA repair contributes to cancer prevention as it obstructs the cancer cells' reproduction.

2. Grapefruit Helps in Losing Weight

Grapefruit has a great combination of three main characteristics which make it the perfect food for increasing your body’s metabolism. These are: high water content, special enzymes burning fats and less sodium. Thanks to them, by drinking a cup of grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit every day, you will notice very quickly losing some extra pounds.

3. Grapefruit Helps in Lowering Cholesterol Levels

Full of antioxidants, grapefruit helps you lower your cholesterol levels. But have in mind if you are on prescription drugs, do not eat/drink grapefruit daily. This is due to the fact that grapefruit has a negative reaction against many prescription drugs. For example:  those for treating depression, seizures, high blood pressure, impotence, allergies, heart palpitations and HIV. If you take medication for any of these, please inform your physician in order to eat grapefruit on a daily basis.

4. Grapefruit Helps in Preventing Arthritis

The salicylic acid contained in grapefruit helps break down your body’s inorganic calcium, which on the other hand piles up in the cartilage of joints and may cause arthritis. In order to avoid arthritis or even if you already have one, try drinking grapefruit juice with apple cider vinegar every day. This will reduce your arthritis symptoms and will feel much better.

5. Grapefruit Works as an Antiseptic

The same salicylic acid, which helps in preventing arthritis, also works as a powerful antiseptic. For example, an extract from grapefruit seed can be added to water in order to make an antiseptic spray for treating bacterial and fungal infections.

6. Grapefruit Helps in Treating Common Ailments

Eating grapefruit will help you treat common ailments such as cold and fever, boost liver function, dissolve gallstones, and increase immunity against infections. In addition, if you want to have a clear skin, include grapefruit in your daily routine.

The grapefruit's benefits do not end here. It also contains essential elements for your healthy living: iron, potassium, manganese, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, phosphorus and B vitamins. So try drinking a cup of fresh grapefruit every day and you will feel just fine.