Can Grapefruit Help You Lose Weight?

Posted January 26, 2015

In Blog, Healthy Diet, Lifestyle Changes, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Myths

How Grapefruit Helps You Lose Weight

Grapefruit is not new to the health scene. It’s been touted as a health miracle since the 1930s. While grapefruit won’t melt away fat, there are many health benefits to eating this citrus-packed fruit regularly. The fruit is in season, meaning it tastes best, during the winter months and early spring, so now is the time to add it to your supermarket shopping list.

It Keeps You Full.

One serving of grapefruit is just 52 calories, but it packs a generous amount of fiber and contains a lot of water to keep you feeling full. One study found eating half a grapefruit before each meal can help you lose weight. After 12 weeks, overweight individuals who ate grapefruit before meals lost 3.6 to 10 pounds. Alternatively, those who did not eat the grapefruit lost just half a pound during the same time period.

It supports your immune system.

You’ll need an extra boost of vitamin C during the cold winter months. With half a grapefruit, you get 64 percent of your daily recommended amount of the vitamin. Although vitamin C won’t cure the common cold or the flu, research suggests it can reduce the likelihood of more serious complications.

Grapefruit juice is packed with antioxidants.

The ruby-red color indicates grapefruit is high in the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to preventing certain cancers. Lycopene protects your cells from damage by controlling which nutrients go in and which stay out.

It protects your heart.

Grapefruit is linked to lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Israeli researchers found patients who did not respond to statin medications, which are prescribed to lower cholesterol, had a positive, cholesterol-lowering response to consuming one grapefruit a day for 30 days. Researchers believe the powerful antioxidants in grapefruit help lower cholesterol, thus preventing heart disease. However, grapefruit does not interact well with certain cholesterol medications, so consult with your doctor before consuming grapefruit.