Almost any product has an ambiguous effect on the human body. And what can we say if we are talking about a hybrid? Here the task is doubly complicated. It is impossible to simply add up the negative and positive characteristics. A more thorough examination is required. Take grapefruit, for example. It seems to be an ordinary citrus fruit. Benefit, and only. But many are more interested than grapefruit is harmful.
Bit of history
This unusual fruit appeared somewhere in the middle of the XVIII century. It was first discovered in India and the American continent. It is believed that he appeared as a result of crossing two citrus crops: orange and pomelo. But no one can say this with complete certainty. At first it was called the "forbidden fruit." Then the fruit was affectionately dubbed the “little sheddock” due to the fact that it was very similar to a pomelo. Grapefruit got its modern name with the easy hand of merchants from Jamaica. They noticed that its fruits do not grow individually, but in whole clusters, like grapes. In English, “grape” sounds like “grape”, hence the name of the new fruit. Since the beginning of the XIX century, it began to be grown on an industrial scale. Trade quickly gained momentum. There were many who wanted to try unusual fruits. Scientists have paid much attention to their research. Numerous experiments were conducted to find out what is useful and what is harmful grapefruit.
Acids Worth Fearing
Chemists and biologists around the world comprehensively examined the new plant, studied its structure, properties and chemical composition. The results confirmed the beneficial properties of the product. But the goal was to understand what is harmful grapefruit, to advise to limit its consumption to people at risk.
According to the unequivocal opinion of experts, a new citrus fruit should not be included in your diet for people suffering from gastritis, an ulcer, as well as those who have high acidity. This list also includes patients who have problems with the functioning of the duodenum. The logic here is simple. The product itself already has a high acid index, and getting it into the patient’s body only aggravates the situation. That, in fact, is what causes grapefruit to be harmful. The juice of this product, getting into the digestive system, irritates the sensitive mucous membrane. This causes a painful sensation, and with repeated exposure can lead to the appearance of additional lesion sites.
Cancer threat
There is another group of people who should consider whether grapefruit is harmful. Those who have liver problems run the risk of getting cancer as well. It is such publications that have begun to appear recently, although many scientists consider this opinion to be fundamentally wrong.
Why is there a risk? Firstly, it is worth noting that grapefruit has a rather complex chemical composition. Therefore, the liver requires a lot of time to properly process it. Secondly, as you know, the development of tumors (malignant) is sometimes due to the increased content in the body of a hormone called estrogen. If the liver is not overloaded, then it manages to process it in a timely manner and remove the excess along with other harmful substances. Otherwise, it accumulates in the body and can lead to irreversible consequences. Then the answer to the question whether grapefruit is harmful is beyond doubt. For people with similar diseases or the threat of their occurrence - of course, yes. However, we repeat, this is just a hypothesis, which so far has not been scientifically supported by any reliable data.
Dangerous neighborhood
Scientists have found another answer to the question of why grapefruit is harmful. It is very important to know for people who use certain drugs in their life. The bottom line is that the composition of grapefruit juice includes special enzymes that have a negative double effect on some drugs:
1) They can artificially increase the concentration of the drug, which as a result leads to its overdose. Such cases occur in the treatment of heart disease or renal failure. Do not eat grapefruit for those who use antidepressants or tranquilizers, as well as various kinds of painkillers.
2) In some cases, enzymes interfere with the normal absorption and sequential breakdown of the drug. Ultimately, it may not have the proper effect on the body. This happens, for example, with contraceptives. Grapefruit partially neutralizes them and reduces the desired result to zero. Women who try to prevent an unnecessary pregnancy with a medication should definitely know this and never use it with pills.
Healthy sleep
To look good, a person must sleep well. This rule has been known for a long time. A rested person can be seen from afar. He looks cheerful and confident. He does not face a bad mood and lack of appetite. But not everyone manages to cope with a lack of sleep. There is a misconception that all fruits are good at any time of the day. This is fundamentally false statement. For example, if a person, going to bed, drinks a glass of appetizing grapefruit juice for sleep, then he will not fall asleep very soon. The question arises: "Why is grapefruit harmful before bedtime?" The answer is simple. The juice of a fragrant tropical hybrid has a strong tonic effect. Therefore, instead of a sound sleep, he will certainly give the body an energy that is completely unnecessary at this time of day. And as a result - sleepless night and cranky nerves. This fact must be taken into account for those for whom the ability to quickly and firmly fall asleep is an impossible wish, a peak that cannot be reached.
On the advice of dentists
Studying grapefruit, dentists also found harmful properties in it. They drew attention to the fact that the juice of this product contains a huge amount of various acids. It would seem that a diverse composition should only bring benefits. But in reality, everything turned out to be not so simple. When a saturated solution enters the oral cavity, the teeth are the first to be hit. Highly concentrated liquid corrodes thin tooth enamel, creating cracks in it. In places of damage, the likelihood of caries increases. It turns out that juice is a catalyst for a disease, which has to be treated for a very long time in advanced cases. Sometimes cracks are so significant that no efforts of specialists can save the situation. A damaged tooth is practically unprotected from external influences. No less unenviable fate awaits the gums.
Woman and Grapefruit
All women want to be beautiful. But nature sometimes acts unfairly. And then the beautiful half of humanity takes matters into their own hands. Sport and diet are used.
Women begin to torture themselves with special exercises and exhaust themselves with dietary restrictions. Some, hoping to achieve the desired result faster, simply starve, and they try to make up for the lack of vitamins with fruits. Scientists have found that, for example, grapefruit leads to a decrease in appetite, which is important in the process of losing weight. Many enterprising ladies buy these fruits for the future and eat them without restriction, without thinking about the consequences. But is grapefruit harmful to women? In a word, it is impossible to answer. So, scientists in America recently conducted research on the effects of this tropical fruit on the female body. It turned out that those who used it were clearly predisposed to the development of breast cancer. But one cannot speak with confidence about this, since during the experiments all possible factors were not taken into account.
What threatens beautiful ladies
Finding out what is harmful grapefruit for women, you can not ignore cosmetic preparations. Every woman daily uses a variety of tonics, creams and balms. For a more effective action, some of them add citrus oils. In particular, grapefruit oil is part of many creams.
Does it seem scary here? The problem is that the presence of this component increases the sensitivity of the skin to the action of sunlight, which can lead to serious burns. Therefore, cosmetologists advise using such creams at least two hours before going out. This time is quite enough for the drug itself to have the desired effect and absorb completely. Such recommendations are binding. They should not be violated, so that later you do not have to spend time and money on additional treatment.