Liver of humans is essential for detoxification process and digestion of foods. However, fat deposits in one’s liver in excessive amount and that too maximum 5percent to 10 percent of the weight of the respective organ, individuals suffer from fatty liver disease. There are many factors contributing to increase the risk related to fatty liver disease in humans. These include diabetes, abuse towards alcohol and other similar toxic substances, diabetes, obesity and high levels of cholesterol and so on.
In this situation, doctors prescribe specific medicines combined with healthy diet and regular physical exercise to reverse your health condition. Other than this, most of the doctors recommend for specific supplements as well as natural food items, like for instance the grapefruit to manage the problem of fatty liver efficiently.
Overview of Grapefruit and its Nutritional Benefits
Grapefruit, also known as Citrus paridisi refers to a tall tree with white flowers and ovate and evergreen leaves. Large size, round shape and dimpled form of fruits grow in these plants and their juices (grapefruit juices) have found their wide applications worldwide for many years. Grapefruit comes in different forms, i.e. juices, fresh fruits, powders and oils.
Grapefruit contains flavonoids in the form of naringenin and terpenes to give the product a significant medicinal value. Especially, grapefruit has proved to be beneficial to fight with body infections, reduce the triglyceride and cholesterol levels and controls body weight in humans. A majority of clinical trials have proved that grapefruit has caused drastic improvement in the lipid profiles among patients consumed 1 grapefruit on a daily basis continuously for about 1 month or 30 days. Besides this, grapefruit juice is helpful to manage fatty liver conditions in large number of patients.
Is Grapefruit Juice Good For Your Liver?
Although researchers have until now do not conducted any actual clinical trial to prove the role of grapefruit and/or its juice to treat fatty liver conditions, we can evidence its benefits based on animal lab studies and reports on the following journals.
European Nutrition Journal Study Report: Study published in the report of European Nutrition Journal highlights that grapefruit extracts naringenin to activate various chemicals causing oxidation of fatty acids. In this way, grapefruit has shown its lipid lowering ability in various laboratory animals. This further helps in the prevention of fatty liver problem.
Medicinal Food Journal Study Report: Another study highlighted in the Medicinal Food Journal has revealed that grapefruit juice is able to reduce the body fat significantly and attenuate various metabolic syndromes. Both of these properties contributes to the prevention of fatty liver disease or management of various symptoms associated with the respective problem.
Endocrinology and Metabolism Journal Study Report: Other than this, research study report of Endocrinology and Metabolism Journal has identified another substance named Nootkatone present in the grapefruit and its juice. This substance controls overweight problems and boosts overall energy and metabolism in various lab animals directed towards managing fatty liver symptoms.
Considerations to Intake Grapefruit and its Juice
Based on the aforementioned information and evidence on health benefits of grapefruit and its juice, we should say that grapefruit is helpful for any individual suffering from fatty liver. However, before you should opt to use grapefruit supplement to treat or prevent the fatty liver problem, you should consult with your doctor.
Particularly, doctors recommend avoiding grapefruit if you intake statin, anti-seizure, antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs on a regular basis, as grapefruit interferes with such medicines and causes many severe complications. This results in excessive accumulation of drugs in your body leading to further health complications along with liver diseases.
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