Grapefruit May Improve Cholesterol
Feb. 10, 2006 — New research shows that grapefruit — especially red
grapefruit — may improve cholesterol, according to a new study.
Natural compounds called antioxidants may get the credit, but that’s not
certain, the researchers note.
However, grapefruit and grapefruit juice interact with several types of
medicine, including some cholesterol-lowering drugs. Grapefruit’s interaction
with certain medications can cause levels of medicine to rise in the body and
lead to serious side effects. Before you head to the grocery store, check with
a doctor about grapefruit’s effects on your medications.
The new study was done in Israel. It was recently posted online in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The researchers included Shela Gorinstein, PhD. Gorinstein works in
Jerusalem at The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School’s department of
medicinal chemistry and natural products.
Low-Fat Diet, Daily Grapefruit
The study included 57 people with high cholesterol. They had had coronary
bypass surgery at least a year before the experiment.
The patients had already unsuccessfully tried a cholesterol-lowering statin
drug (such as Zocor). They hadn’t taken any drugs that cut cholesterol or boost
antioxidants for at least 30 days before the study.
The researchers split the patients into three groups. For 30 days, all
groups ate a low-calorie, low-fat diet. One group added a daily red grapefruit.
Another group got a white grapefruit every day. For comparison, the third group
didn’t eat any grapefruit during the study.
The red grapefruit group improved their cholesterol most, followed by the
white grapefruit group. They ended up with notably lower total cholesterol and
LDL (”bad” cholesterol) than the comparison group.
Bonus With Red Grapefruit
The red grapefruit group also improved their triglycerides (blood fats).
Triglycerides didn’t change much for the other two groups, write Gorinstein and
colleagues.
Red grapefruit has more antioxidants than white grapefruit, the researchers
note. They call for more studies to see if those antioxidants deserve the
credit for the study’s findings, or if there’s another explanation.
Meanwhile, Gorinstein’s team writes that a daily red grapefruit might be a
helpful addition to a heart-friendly, low-fat diet for people with high
cholesterol. But remember to check with your doctor first if you take any
medicine, even if it’s not a cholesterol-lowering drug. Other types of
medications that can interact with grapefruit juice include drugs for blood
pressure, heart rhythm, depression, anxiety, HIV, immunosuppression, allergies,
impotence, and seizures.
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