How Your Grapefruit Can Help With Diabetes

Who knew a dose of grapefruit could pack such a healthy punch? Here we take a look at the nutritional benefits and health relationship between grapefruit and diabetes.

Since the 1930s, dieters around the world have sworn by grapefruits as a secret weapon in the pursuit of health and weight loss. 

Fast forward 90 years, and it seems that science has finally caught up with the anecdotal evidence.

In fact, not only are grapefruits a delicious addition to a dieter's meal plan, but recent research has demonstrated that this humble citrus fruit can help in the fight against diabetes. 

If grapefruit and diabetes sound like an unlikely pairing, read on, and learn about the amazing benefits for yourself. 

Diabetes and Insulin Resistance - the Facts

People who are diabetic and prediabetic are insulin resistant. This means that insulin is not working as it should in the body.

Insulin's normal purpose is to move sugar into the body's cells to be used as energy. When a person is insulin resistant, they need greater levels of insulin to do that job. 

Diabetes affects over 642 million people worldwide and growing. Research continues to be undertaken to find a cure, and scientists have made several interesting discoveries about diabetes, including the role of grapefruit. 

Grapefruit and Diabetes 

There are two main ways in which grapefruit can help those with diabetes and prediabetes. The first is weight loss, and the second is lowering insulin resistance. 

Grapefruit and Weight Loss

In 2006, a group of scientists studied grapefruit for weight loss in 91 obese patients. All these patients suffered from metabolic syndrome, which is a set of health markers for obesity, including diabetes. 

These scientists discovered that the group who ate grapefruit or consumed grapefruit juice lost significantly more weight than the placebo group (1.6kg for those eating fresh grapefruit compared to just 0.3kg for the control group). 

Grapefruit and Insulin Resistance 

In a separate study on mice, consumption of grapefruit juice led to a significant reduction in resting blood glucose, a basic measure for whether someone is insulin resistant.  

Both of these studies are great news for anyone looking to manage their diabetes and weight loss. A sweet grapefruit is readily available, low cost, and delicious. 

Other Health Benefits of Grapefruit

Whilst using grapefruit to help with diabetes might seem unusual, it's not the only health benefit of grapefruit. 

Grapefruits Are High in Antioxidants

Antioxidants fight free radicals, which cause damage to the cells in your body. Free radical damage has been linked to a wide range of health conditions including cancer and heart disease. 

Grapefruits Can Boost the Immune System

Grapefruits are high in vitamin C, an important vitamin to help your body fight off infection and keep your immune system strong. 

An Easy Health Switch You Can Make Today

When it comes to the risks associated with a serious disease like diabetes, we must all take steps to improve our health.

Unlike modern medicines, complex diet plans, or strenuous exercise regimes, adding a grapefruit a day to your diet is one easy change we can all make. Enjoy grapefruit and diabetes becomes one health risk you can start to reduce. 

Try our seasonal citrus box while its available...the Craft Citrus Club!

Our Rio box is a 15-lb curated box of our fresh-harvested citrus from South Texas. The fruit is NOT gassed, rather it is tree-ripened. Our season runs from Nov-May for oranges, grapefruit and mandarins.

Our Grande box is a 30-lb box of either fresh-harvested Rio Red Grapefruit or Sweet Oranges from South Texas.