Grapefruit Benefits and Uses

The grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfad) is a large orange-like fruit that belongs to the citrus family. Fruit grows in varieties of pink/red, yellow, white or ruby color. The pink or red varieties are higher in vitamin content.

Grapefruit Benefits

Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice contains vitamin C. Vitamin-C is a potent antioxidant and helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals. The fruit contains very good levels of vitamin-A, and flavonoid antioxidants such as naringenin, and naringin. Vitamin A intake supports your immune system, helps maintain healthy retinas and acts as an antioxidant in body. Grapefruit is a good source of potassium. Potassium, is one of several electrolytes that sustain fluid levels and electrical activity in your body. Insufficient potassium can result in an irregular heartbeat, known as arrhythmia. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids, helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure through countering sodium effects.

GrapefruitThe vitamin C and the antioxidant properties protect the skin from environmental hazards. It also stimulates the production of skin collagen that brings smoothness and elasticity to the skin. “Grapefruit is loaded with vitamin C, a mild acid, which helps fade spots by reducing excess production of skin pigment,” says Jessica Wu, MD, a Los Angeles–based dermatologist.

Grapefruit is a source of fiber. This fruit contains high level of pectin which acts as a bulk laxative and helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure to toxic substance in the colon. Fiber is necessary to promote regular bowel movements and to prevent constipation.

Grapefruit juice helps increase your urinary pH value, which significantly lowers risk of calcium oxalate stones forming in the kidney. A study reported in the “British Journal of Nutrition” demonstrated that drinking 2-4 cups daily of grapefruit or orange juice reduced the risk of developing kidney stones.

Red varieties of grapefruits are particularly rich in the most strong flavonoid antioxidant, lycopene. This carotenoid is believed to have potent antioxidant effects with some studies showing a reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration. The optimum dosage for lycopene has not been established, but the amount found useful in studies usually fell in the range of 4 to 8 mg daily. In a study reported in the March 2005 edition of International Journal of Cancer, scientists found that prostate cancer risk declined with increased consumption of lycopene. Lycopene has shown promise for leukoplakia. In a clinical trials, 58 participants with oral leukoplakia received either 8 mg oral lycopene daily, 4 mg daily, or placebo capsules for 3 months. Subjects were then followed for an additional two months. The results showed  that lycopene in either dose was more effective than placebo for reducing signs and symptoms of leukoplakia, and that 8 mg daily was more effective than 4 mg.

Naringenin, a flavonoid concentrated in grapefruit, helps repair damaged DNA in human prostate cancer cells. A study that was reported in the “Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry” shows that grapefruits help repair damaged DNA in human prostate cancer cells. A group of phytonutrients in grapefruits called limonoids help prevent tumors by promoting an enzyme that causes the liver to expel more toxins from the body. In animal-based studies and lab tests with human cells, limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. Limonoids help control the activity of genes in cancer cells, activating genes that promote cancer cell death, according to a research reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in 2011. Research indicate that drinking grapefruit juice everyday helps reduce the activities of enzymes that can activate cancer triggering chemicals found in cigarette smoke. In humans, drinking three 6-ounce glasses of grapefruit juice a day was shown to reduce the activity of an enzyme that activates cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

Pomegranate Benefits for Health

The pomegranate is a member of the Punicaceae family. The fruit is comprised of peel, seeds, and aril. An average pomegranate contains approximately 600 juicy seeds, which are encapsulated in white pith. Pomegranates are high in polyphenols, including flavonoids and tannins.

Pomegranate Benefits

Pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) contains a variety of chemicals that might have antioxidant properties. Pomegranate  is high in 3 different types of polyphenols, a strong form of antioxidants. The three types – anthocyanins, ellagic acid, tannins – are present in many fruits, but fresh pomegranate juice contains especially high levels of all three. Preliminary studies indicate that pomegranate juice may contain nearly three times the total antioxidant ability compared to the same quantity of  red wine or green tea. Some research show that chemicals in pomegranate juice might slow the progression of atherosclerosis and possibly fight cancer cells.

Cardiovascular Disease

PomegranatePomegranate juice contributes curing and preventing cardiovascular disease. Studies demonstrate that the different and high antioxidant content decreases inflammation and thickening of the artery walls. Researchers attribute heart healthy benefits to polyphenols, including anthocyanins, which are plant pigments that give the pomegranate its red hue. A study reported in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” found that pomegranate juice combats hardening of the arteries and related diseases like heart attacks and strokes. Researchers in Israel have shown that drinking a daily glass of the fruit’s juice can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. “Pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, green tea and red wine ,” said Professor Michael Aviram, who led the team.

Pomegranate juice may improve blood flow to the heart in individuals with ischemic coronary heart disease. In a clinical trial of 45 patients with coronary heart disease and myocardial ischemia, participants who drank approximately 8 fluid ounces of pomegranate juice daily for 3 months had less ischemia during a stress test. Study participants who did not drink the juice, meanwhile, had evidence of more stress-induced ischemia. New research evaluated heart patients with severe carotid artery blockages. Pomegranate was shown to have strong anti-atherogenic properties in healthy humans and in mice with plaque buildup. Participants were given an ounce of pomegranate juice each day for a year. Not only did study participants’ blood pressure lower by over 12%, but there was a 30 % decline  in atherosclerotic plaque. Participants who did not take the pomegranate juice saw their atherosclerotic plaque increase by 9%. In other studies, powerful antioxidant compounds found in pomegranates have shown to reduce platelet aggregation and lower blood pressure, factors that prevent both heart attacks and strokes.

Anticancer

Pomegranate juice and extract, inhibit the proliferation of various prostate cancercell linesin vitro and induce apoptoticcell death in a dose-dependent manner. Pomegranate juice may slow prostate cancer growth. The juice appeared to suppress the growth of cancer cells and the increase in cancer cell death in laboratory experiments, according to research from UCLA. In a study of men who had undergone therapy for prostate cancer, 8 ounces of pomegranate juice every day kept their Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels stable thereby reducing the need for more treatment such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy. The ellagitannins found in pomegranates juice have the ability to prevent cancer cells from becoming mobile. Researches also show reduced blood supply to tumors which prevents cancer cells from obtaining nutrients. Mice that had been inoculated with human prostate cancer cells received a four week therapy of pomegranate  extract. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in tumor size and tumor vessel density.

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in prostate cancer. A study reported in 2010 investigated the effects of a POMx  (10 µg/mL concentration of pomegranate extract prepared from skin and arils minus seeds) on the IGF system. Treating LAPC4 prostate cancer cells with POMx resulted in cell growth inhibition and apoptosis.  Pomegranate may help prevent and slow the growth of some types of breast cancer. In the lab, pomegranate extracts inhibited human breast cancer cells’ ability to proliferate and spread to other areas and induced programmed cell death. Pomegranate showed efficacy against both estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent breast cancer cells. Pomegranate may also help reduce the risk of colon. Pomegranate extract reduced the number and size of experimentally induced colon tumors in animal subjects. In the lab, pomegranate juice inhibited the proliferation and increased programmed cell death of human colon cancer cells.

Arthritis

Studies have shown that pomegranate extract have anti-inflammatory properties that stop the destruction of joints caused by osteoarthritis. Researchers at “Case Western Reserve University” have reported that tissue cultures of human cartilage cells respond to pomegranate extract. In laboratory tests, the pomegranate extract; 1-Cut levels of an inflammatory chemical called IL-1b (interleukin-1b). 2-Stopped enzymes that erode cartilage.  Scientists said their findings “indicate the pomegranate fruit extract or compounds derived from it may inhibit cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis and may also be a useful nutritive supplement for maintaining joint integrity and function.

Erectile Dysfunction and Fertility

Pomegranate juice may help increase sexual performance and fertility. Men and women who drank a glass a day for a fortnight were found to have increased levels of the sex hormone testosterone. A study on 58 participants aged between 21 and 64 found significantly increased testosterone levels in both sexes at the end of the two week experiment. A glass of pomegranate juice every day may help manage erectile dysfunction. Writing in the International Journal of Impotence Research, researchers from The Male Clinic, Beverly Hills, and University of California, report that 47% of participants reported erections improvements as a result of pomegranate juice, compared to only 32%  in the placebo group.

A animal-based study has been conducted on 28 male rats to examine the sperm production after giving them pomegranate juice. The study has successfully showed that pomegranate juice significantly enhanced sperm count of those rates. Compared with the mice drinking only water, the mice drinking concentrated pomegranate juice experienced a 48.5% decrease in their blood levels of malondialdehyde (a reactive carbonyl compound and a major end product of lipid oxidation), and a 63.5%  decrease in the levels of the chemical in their sperm.