The grapefruit diet began in the 1930s. The premise: include half a grapefruit with your meals and the grapefruit will melt away fat and burn calories. Variations on the diet include replacing grapefruit with grapefruit juice and restricting total calories -- grapefruit included -- to 800 per day. A weight-loss solution can include -- but shouldn't solely rely on -- grapefruit.
Fat-Burning Flavonoid
In October 2009, "Diabetes" journal published a University of Western Ontario study on grapefruit's weight-loss abilities. Erin Mulvihill, a researcher at the Canadian university, discovered that grapefruit contains a fat-burning flavonoid. Mice in the study, fattened up on a diet of sugar and lard, lost weight without changing their eating habits when fed a grapefruit flavonoid. Mulvilhill's research provided proof about a longstanding theory about grapefruit's fat-burning capabilities.
Fat-Burning and Adding Calories
Mulvilhill's discovery provided promise but not a simple weight-loss solution for dieters. Murray Huff, one of the researchers from the grapefruit flavonoid study, told "The Toronto Star" in July 2009 that you would need to drink between 6 and 8 cups of grapefruit juice daily in order to receive enough of the flavonoid to induce fat-burning. The reason this "weight loss" method becomes complicated is that 1 cup of grapefruit juice contains 96 calories and 8 cups contains 768. No evidence exists that the flavonoid in grapefruit burns off more than the additional 768 calories you'd consume drinking grapefruit juice. Until -- unless -- scientists find a way to package the flavonoid in pill form, don't rely on grapefruit's fat-burning properties.
Weight Loss and Insulin Reduction
A study led by Ken Fujioka of the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California suggests that grapefruit can help you lose weight by lowering your insulin level. Fujioka's study, published in the "Journal of Medicinal Food" in spring 2006, tested grapefruit's effect on 100 obese people. For 12 weeks, one-third of the people ate half a grapefruit before meals, one-third drank a cup of grapefruit juice before meals and one-third took placebos. All participants followed their regular diets, but those who ate grapefruit lost an average of 3.6 lbs. and those who drank a cup of grapefruit lost an average of 3.3 lbs -- about 1/3 lb. per week.
Reduced-Calorie Diet
Some extreme diets include grapefruit -- and not much else. Some "grapefruit diets" include a paltry 800 calories and a very restricted menu of eggs, dry toast and coffee. You can lose weight -- but sacrifice your health -- on such a low-calorie diet. A moderate diet that restricts calories by about 500 a day and includes exercise can help you safely lose weight. You can certainly include grapefruit on a low-calorie diet, as 1/2 grapefruit contains only 41 calories. Grapefruit adversely reacts with many medications. If you take any over-the-counter or prescription drugs, consult a doctor before consuming grapefruit.
References
- "St. Petersburg Times"; State Study to Explore Grapefruit as Diet Aid; Julie Hauserman; March 4, 2003
- Weight Loss Resources; The New Grapefruit Diet Review; Juliette Kellow
- "Diabetes"; Naringenin Prevents Dyslipidemia, Apolipoprotein B Overproduction, and Hyperinsulinemia in LDL Receptor--Null Mice With Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance; Erin Mulvihill et al.; October 2009
- "The Toronto Star"; Grapefruit Glory; Joseph Hall; July 15, 2009
- United States Department of Agriculture: Nutrient Database
- "Journal of Medicinal Food"; The Effects of Grapefruit on Weight and Insulin on Weight and Insulin Resistance: Relationship to the Metabolic Syndrome; Ken Fujioka et al.; spring 2006
Member Comments