A new study has revealed that a chemical compound found in the grapefruit may aid in preventing physiological changes which lead to a adverse condition called metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a huge risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Read on to know more about how the extract from grapefruit may prevent obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms which include high blood sugars levels between meals, low HDL cholesterol (“good”), central obesity high triglycerides and high blood pressure. A few previous studies have suggested that a chemical substance or amalgamation of substances in the grapefruit might help in regulating blood sugars and fats.
Previous Studies
One of the studies found that individuals who consumed one red grapefruit every day might minimize their levels of cholesterol by nearly 15% and triglycerides levels by 17%. Both experiments conducted in humans and lab studies indicated that the grapefruit might act through other ways to minimize the risk of heart disease. This study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In another study, it was found that the flavonoid found naturally in grapefruit, Naringenin, might perform the same task as insulin does in regulating the blood sugar levels in the body. Naringenin was found to inhibit the liver from secreting very low-density lipoproteins. This reduced the certain triglycerides levels in the blood. This research was carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Western Ontario.
About the Newest Study
This new study was published in the medical journal, Diabetes. This research was carried out by the same team of researchers from the University of Ontario. They followed-up the study of naringenin in live mice instead of laboratory cultures.
They initially bred specific mice which were deficient in low-density lipoproteins (LDL) receptors present in their livers. As LDL carry cholesterol, a receptor deficiency leads to high levels of blood cholesterol. When such type of mice are fed a high-fat diet, they become prone to obesity. When they were 8-12 weeks old, the modified mice were separated into 4 groups based on their diet:
- normal diet
- high-fat diet
- high-fat diet with 1% naringenin
- high-fat diet with 3% naringenin
Research Findings
After four weeks of observation, it was found that the mice fed the high-fat diet developed high liver lipids levels, less glucose tolerance, insulin resistant and obesity. The mice fed on high-fat diet with naringenin maintained a normal weight. Also, they had normal triglycerides and cholesterol levels.
