Grapefruit Juice: Exploring Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

Grapefruits, recognized for their sizable and rounded appearance, are citrus fruits thought to have emerged from a hybrid cross between an orange and a shaddock. This unique variety of fruit took shape in the West Indies in the early 1700s and later found its way to Florida in the 1820s.

Beyond their pleasing flavor, grapefruits are notable for their low calorie content combined with an impressive range of nutrients. These nutrients encompass calories, niacin, ascorbic acid, vitamin A, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, carbohydrates, protein, fat, iron, sodium, riboflavin, and thiamine. Consuming grapefruit juice has been associated with reducing the risk of various diseases and facilitating weight loss.

Grapefruit has garnered acknowledgment as a viable solution for weight management, addressing issues such as water retention and lymphatic congestion. Its capacity to boost fat metabolism, counteract cellulite, and potentially aid in dissolving gallstones has been recognized.

In the context of today's health-conscious environment, grapefruit juice is widely embraced for its potential in guarding against cardiovascular disorders and the development of cancer.

Recent research suggests that grapefruit juice might lead to a reduction of up to 16% in serum cholesterol and a 21% decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, when compared to mineral water. This impact has been particularly prominent among patients grappling with hyperlipidemia.

The contemporary realm of grapefruits encompasses three main variations: white, pink/red, and ruby/rio red. Through the combination of the delightful and zesty nuances of oranges and shaddocks, grapefruit juice not only satisfies taste buds but also supplies as much as 69% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, accompanied by a substantial potassium content of up to 250 mg.

In-depth examination of grapefruit's composition has identified two bioactive compounds – bergaptol and geranyl coumarin – sourced from both grapefruit juice and its peel oil. These compounds, acknowledged for their robust antioxidant characteristics, contribute to the potential health advantages associated with the fruit.

Throughout history, grapefruit juice has been linked to a wide spectrum of effects, encompassing antioxidant, antinitrosaminic, antiseptic, aperitif, cardiotonic, detoxifying, hypocholesterolemic, sedative, and stomachic activities.
Grapefruit Juice: Exploring Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

Vitamin in general

Vitamin are chemically unrelated organic substances that are grouped together because each is essential in the diet in minute amounts and is required for specific metabolic reactions within the cells.

Traditionally they are classified according to their solubility water and fat solvents and, from a physiological standpoint; this property determines the pattern of transport excretion and storage within the human body.

Several of the vitamins, while conveniently considered as a single substance, actually are a group of structurally related compound that tend to behave alike physiologically.

In general however, physiologically function tends to be limited to one active form to which the related forms are converted.

Whether a substance must be supplied intact to the cell or can be synthesized by the cell depends on the assortment of enzymes peculiar to the cell species.

A substance, therefore, may be a vitamin for one species but not for another. The difference lies whether the substances is required in the diet or whether it can be synthesized by human body.
Vitamin in general

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are defined as polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones and their derivatives and vary from simple three-carbon sugars to complex polymers. Most carbohydrates conform tot the general formula (CH2O)n, but the classification of carbohydrates includes compounds that are not true hydrates as the names implies.

For example, deoxyribose contains 5 carbon atoms, 10 hydrogens, but only 4 oxygen rather than 5 as is customary for pentose. Moreover, some compounds that are properly classified as carbohydrates in terms of chemical properties contain nitrogen or sulfur addition to carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Carbohydrates are classified into three main groups, monosaccharide, or simple sugars; oligosaccharides, of which the most prevalent in nature are the disaccharides; and polysaccharides the most complex of the carbohydrates.

Starch is by far the most important source of carbohydrates in the human diet amounting to approximately 50% of total carbohydrate in the United States, but often as much as 75% total carbohydrates in some of the developing countries.

Sucrose ranks next in important comprising about 25% of carbohydrates intake. In the last 70 years the intake of complex carbohydrates in the diet of United States has decreased, and the intake of sucrose has markedly increased.
Carbohydrates

Healthy Foods

Healthy Foods
If you could eat foods that were tasty, nutritious and helped reduce your risk of disease, what more could you want? The August issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers its 10 top picks for healthy foods:

Apples: Apples are a good source of pectin, a fiber that can lower cholesterol and glucose levels. They’re also a good source of vitamin C -- an antioxidant that protects your body’s cells. Vitamin C also keeps your blood vessels healthy and aids in the absorption of iron and folate.
Almonds: These nuts are packed with nutrients -- fiber, riboflavin, magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamin E, a natural antioxidant. They’re also good for your heart. Most of the fat in almonds is monounsaturated fat, which can help lower cholesterol levels when substituted for other fats. Most almonds are considered low sodium, with less than 140 milligrams of sodium an ounce.

Broccoli: Besides providing calcium, potassium, folate and fiber, broccoli contains phytonutrients -- compounds that may help prevent diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Broccoli contains the antioxidant beta-carotene and is also an excellent source of vitamin C. Blueberries: They are a rich, low-calorie source of fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Regular intake of blueberries may improve short-term memory and reduce the cellular damage associated with aging.
Red beans: Small red, pinto and dark red kidney varieties -- are an excellent low-fat source of antioxidants, protein, dietary fiber and copper. They’re also a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and thiamin.

Salmon: This fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to provide heart benefits. Salmon is also low in saturated fat and cholesterol and is a good source of protein. If possible, choose wild salmon, which is less likely to contain unwanted chemicals such as mercury.
Spinach: It’s high in vitamin A, and also is a good source of calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, riboflavin and vitamins B-6 and C. The plant compounds in spinach may boost your immune system and help prevent certain types of cancer.
Sweet potatoes: The deep orange-yellow color of sweet potatoes tells you that they’re high in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes are also high in vitamin C and a good source of fiber, vitamin B-6 and potassium. And, they’re fat-free and relatively low in calories.

Vegetable juice: This beverage is an easy way to include vegetables in your diet since it contains most of the same vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Tomato juice, and vegetable juices which include tomatoes, are good sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce the risk of heart attack and certain types of cancer. Be sure to select the low-sodium varieties.
Wheat germ: The germ at the center of the wheat seed is a concentrated source of nutrients. Two tablespoons provide a good source of thiamin, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Sprinkle over cereals, yogurt and salads. Or use it in muffins, cookies and pancakes.

Source: Newstarget
Healthy Foods

Red Meat and Breast Cancer

Red Meat and Breast Cancer
Eating red meat may raise a woman’s risk of a common type of breast cancer, and vitamin supplements will do little if anything to protect her heart.

Women who ate more than 1½ servings of red meat per day were almost twice as likely to develop hormone-related breast cancer as those who ate fewer than three portions per week, one study found.

The other — one of the longest and largest tests of whether supplements of various vitamins can prevent heart problems and strokes in high-risk women — found that the popular pills do no good, although there were hints that women with the highest risk might get some benefit from vitamin C.

Antioxidants like vitamins C and E attach to substances that can damage cells. Scientists have been testing them for preventing such diseases as Alzheimer’s and cancer.

More than 8,000 women were randomly assigned to take vitamin C, E or beta carotene alone or in various combinations for nearly a decade. An additional 5,442 women took folic acid and B vitamin supplements for more than seven years.

Overall, there was minimal evidence of any cardiovascular benefit of any of these antioxidants and people should not start or continue taking them for that purpose. Among the 3,000 women in the study who had no prior heart disease but three or more risk factors for it, those who received vitamin C alone or in combination had a 42 percent lower risk of stroke. Smokers taking C also had a 48 percent lower risk.
Red Meat and Breast Cancer