Grapefruit could help fight against diabetes

Thu, 26 Aug 2010
A new study has found that eating grapefruit could help treat diabetes, as an antioxidant found in the fruit has same benefits as two separate drugs used to combat the condition. Naringenin, which gives grapefruit its bitter taste, mimics the action of Fenofibrate and Rosiglitazone, two lipid-lowering drugs used to help control type 2 diabetes .

Diabetes happens when the body can’t produce enough insulin to properly regulate blood sugar levels, and naringenin helps to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, as well as helping people with diabetes maintain a healthy weight, a key element of diabetes treatment .

The liver behaves as if it is fasting, so it breaks down fatty acids instead of carbohydrates . The research revealed that naringenin makes the liver burn fat instead of storing it.

Yaakov Nahmias, who led the study, which was published in the science journal PLoS One, commented "Chemicals like naringenin were long sought after by the pharmaceutical industry, but their development was plagued by safety concerns. This is a step forward but we shouldn’t get carried away that eating large amounts of grapefruit will be a magic bullet – it won’t." A spokesman from the charity Diabetes UK agreed that the research was still at an early stage.

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