Drink Grapefruit Juice to Stay Slim: Study

Grapefruit juice works like the diabetes drug 'metformim' in preventing weight gain in mice fed on high-fat diet, finds a study.

Recently, experts at the University of California in Berkley found a direct link between intake of grape fruit juice and weight loss in laboratory mice. The rodents were divided into six groups that either received a placebo drink, water, grapefruit juice or mixture of grape fruit juice and water for 100 days. Mild amounts of saccharin were added to the juice to make it less bitter while diluted juice had sugar substitutes and glucose. Along with juice, the mice were fed high fat diet and researchers kept a tab on blood glucose, insulin and triglyceride levels.

It was observed that mice that drank grape fruit juice gained less weight and had significantly lesser fat and insulin levels compared to those in the control group, reports the Time .

Drinking undiluted grapefruit juice reduced blood glucose levels by 13 to 17 percent and saw a wthree fold decrease in insulin levels compared to mice that received water or placebo drink.

"I was surprised by the findings. We even re-checked the calibration of our glucose sensors, and we got the same results over and over again," said Andreas Stahl, study author and researcher at the University of California in a Press Release.

"We see all sorts of scams about nutrition. But these results, based on controlled experiments, warrant further study of the potential health-promoting properties of grapefruit juice. The grapefruit juice lowered blood glucose to the same degree as metformin. T hat means a natural fruit drink lowered glucose levels as effectively as a prescription drug," added Joseph Napoli, co-author and researcher.

The study could not confirm the exact reason why grapefruit promotes weight loss and the authors believe the matter needs further research.

More information is available online in journal PLoS ONE.