New research in America has suggested that eating grapefruit, or drinking grapefruit juice before meals, helps people to lose weight and also helps to lower insulin levels in diabetes patients.
A survey was recently conducted upon 100 overweight in California. One group ate half a grapefruit before each of their three meals a day. The second group drank a glass of grapefruit juice before each of their three meals. The third group were given placebo tablets, fruit juice and fruit capsules but did not consume any grapefruit or juice before their meals. After twelve weeks of following an otherwise identical diet, the first group who had eaten the grapefruit, had shed an average of 3.6 lbs per person, with some people losing up to 10lbs. The second group, who had drunk grapefruit juice before each meal had each lost an average of 3.3lbs, but the third group taking only capsules and fruit juice had only lost an average of 0.5lbs per person.
Researchers suggest that the weight loss was linked to lower insulin levels in the grapefruit eaters, which in turn led to lower glucose levels. This is because insulin is used by the body, to metabolise sugar and when it is metabolised efficiently, it is less likely to be stored as fat. Lower insulin levels also cause people to feel less hungry. High levels of the hormone cause hunger and also stimulate the liver to manufacture fat, which can constrict arteries, leading to a risk of heart attacks and strokes.
These findings are extremely interesting and could be of great benefit in helping to fight obesity, and also in the prevention and treatment of diabetes in the future.
Angie Mcilwaine runs HealthiDiet.com [http://www.healthidiet.com] and has been involved in all areas of diet, health and fitness for more than 15 years. She enjoys helping people healther, fitter and more confident through controlled weight loss and exercise.You can contact Angie via her website – she is only too happy to pass on advice and information. She also has a regular newsletter with original tips and ideas to help you lose weight.
