7 Health benefits of grapefruit (red grapefruit)

Grapefruit or what is often known as red grapefruit is classified as a tropical fruit. This fruit is dominated by a sweet and slightly sour taste, which is wrapped in a red, almost orange flesh. Researchers believe that there is a benefit of grapefruit which is to reduce the risk of kidney stones.

That's not all. In fact, there are still a variety of other good properties of this fruit that you should try.

The benefits of grapefruit are good for health

1. Helps meet fluid needs

Source: Wide Open Eats

The human body is mostly water, so it is important to keep the water content in the body in balance. Apart from plain water, you can also meet your body's water needs by eating grapefruit.

In fact, water makes up most of the weight of the fruit. Half a medium grapefruit contains about 118 ml of water or 88 percent of the total weight of the grapefruit itself.

2. High in antioxidants

Another benefit of grapefruit that is no less important is that it is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that are useful for protecting body cells from damage caused by free radicals. Actually, the body already produces its own antioxidants, but the amount is not sufficient to fight the effects of free radicals.

Therefore, additional antioxidant intake from daily food is still needed. Well, one way you can fulfill it is by eating grapefruit. Several types of antioxidants are contained in grapefruit, namely:

Vitamin C serves to protect body cells from damage, which often results in heart disease and cancer.
Beta carotene gets converted into vitamin A in the body, which can help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases. For example, heart disease, cancer, and eye-related disorders.
Lycopene known for its ability to prevent the development of types of cancer, especially prostate cancer; it can also help slow down tumor growth.
Flavonoids has anti-inflammatory properties which can also reduce blood pressure and high cholesterol.

3. Improve the immune system

As previously explained, grapefruit is able to contribute high vitamin C to the body. That is why, grapefruit is believed to be able to protect body cells from virus and bacteria attack. In short, the benefits of grapefruit are very good for maintaining your immune system.

This fact is reinforced by a study from Clinical Infectious Diseases which states that the content of vitamin A in grapefruit is proven to be effective for maintaining the immune system, by protecting the body from inflammation and various infectious diseases.

Not only that, the content of B vitamins, zinc, copper, and iron can act as body protection against infection.

4. Lose weight

For those of you who are planning to lose weight, eating grapefruit can be one of the best choices. This is because grapefruit contains a number of fiber which can help reduce calorie intake.

A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food studied a total of 91 obese people. The results showed that people who ate red grapefruit for 12 weeks before eating experienced a weight loss of about 1.6 kg. Meanwhile, people who do not eat grapefruit are only able to lose 0.3 kg of body weight.

However, that does not mean that just eating grapefruit will certainly lose weight. We recommend that you include grapefruit in your daily diet with other supporting foods in order to get optimal results.

5. Maintain healthy hair

There are various ways to get the benefits of grapefruit. Eaten directly, processed into food, or processed to become oil. Yes, grapefruit can also be processed into oil that is no less beneficial for health, one of which is for hair.

Usually, this oil from processed grapefruit is used to beautify the natural shine of the hair, especially on oily hair.

6. Maintain heart health

Grapefruit fruit is rich in various important nutrients such as potassium and fiber which are good for maintaining normal heart function.

This is evidenced by a study which revealed that people who eat red grapefruit regularly three times a day for six weeks experience a decrease in blood pressure and bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body. Of course, this can prevent the risk of heart disease and stroke.

7. Prevent insulin resistance

Last but not least, eating grapefruit can help prevent insulin resistance in the body. Insulin is a hormone that functions to control blood sugar levels.

So when insulin resistance occurs, it means that insulin cannot be used properly which will lead to a spike in blood sugar levels. Research has shown that people who eat half a grapefruit before eating can improve the work of the insulin hormone compared to people who don't eat grapefruit.

However, this doesn't just apply to grapefruit. Research published in the International Journal of Basic and Clinical Endocrinology, eating fruits is generally good for controlling blood sugar levels so that it can reduce the risk of diabetes.