Doctors recommend eating grapefruit pulp (flesh) – its small sacks full of juices. They contain a unique kind of dissolvable fibers called galacturonic acid and can not only lower cholesterol in the blood, but also dissolve and lower already formed plaque on the walls of the arteries. Dr. James Cerda, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Florida, determined that fibers contained in two and a half cups of grapefruit, if consumed every day, can lower blood cholesterol for more than 10%.
Warning: grapefruit juice does not contain fibers and does not show any therapeutic benefits towards lowering cholesterol. Even further, in clinical research with pigs (whose cardiovascular system is very similar to the human) it was noted that ingredients from grapefruit contribute to minor diseases and collapse arteries and aortas, lowering already formed plaques.
When deciding between grapefruits, red grapefruit has more antioxidants than white grapefruit. Daily red grapefruit is a healthy addition to a low-fat diet for people with high cholesterol. But remember to check with your doctor first if you take any medicine that can interact with grapefruit juice, like drugs for blood pressure, heart rhythm, anxiety, HIV, allergies and seizures.
In most cases, grapefruit increases the level of the medicine in your blood. This can increase the risk of side effects or alter the effect a drug has.
If you include grapefruit or grapefruit juice in your diet and you’ve been prescribed a medicine that’s affected by grapefruit, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
Summing up, you should eat fresh grapefruit freely, and if you want grapefruit juice, don’t buy one from supermarket, but squeeze a fresh grapefruit. Cholesterol, what cholesterol?
