Grapefruit Diet Holds Key to Fighting Obesity

A substance in grapefruit could prove to be the key to fighting obesity and diabetes, according to a new Canadian study.

The substance, a flavonoid called “naringenin,” is a naturally occurring compound in all citrus fruit, but especially in grapefruit, giving it its characteristic bitter taste. Naringenin, in concentrations far above levels found naturally, makes the liver burn fat instead of storing it, according to a study by Roberts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario.

The study used two groups of mice that were fed a typical Western high-fat diet, a diet known to induce symptoms of metabolic syndrome. One group’s diet, however, was treated with naringenin.

The researchers found that the naringenin corrected elevations in tryclycerides and cholesterol, prevented the onset of insulin resistance, and otherwise normalized the metabolism of insulin. Also, the naringenin completely reprogrammed the livers of the mice so that excess fat was burned rather than stored.

The “marked obesity that develops in these mice was completely prevented by naringenin," said study leader Murray Huff. "What was unique about the study was that the effects were independent of caloric intake, meaning the mice ate exactly the same amount of food and the same amount of fat. There was no suppression of appetite or decreased food intake, which are often the basis of strategies to reduce weight gain and its metabolic consequences.”

The famous grapefruit diet apparently headed in the right direction, but the levels of naringenin found in grapefruit were not high enough to produce the results obtained in the study. People wanting to try naringenin for obesity and diabetes benefits will have to wait until a concentrated supplement is developed.

The study team is trying to develop a naringenin treatment for humans.

Posted: True Health Is True Wealth

Eggs May Reduce High Blood Pressure

Researchers in Canada are reporting evidence that eggs — often frowned upon for their high cholesterol content — may reduce another heart disease risk factor — high blood pressure. They describe identification of egg proteins that act like a popular group of prescription medications in lowering blood pressure. The report appeared in the Feb. 11 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. In the new study, Jianping Wu and Kaustav Majumder note that eggs are an inexpensive source of high-quality protein and other nutrients. Egg consumption, however, has decreased during the last 40 years amid concerns about cholesterol. Recent studies do suggest that healthy people can eat eggs without increasing their heart disease risk. Other research hinted that certain egg proteins might have effects similar to ACE inhibitors, prescription drugs used to treat high blood pressure. Pursuing that lead in laboratory studies, the scientists identified several different peptides in boiled and fried eggs that act as potent ACE inhibitors. The scientists showed that enzymes in the stomach and small intestine produce these peptides from eggs. Fried eggs had the highest ACE inhibitory activity. It will take studies in humans to determine if the egg proteins do lower blood pressure in people, the scientists emphasized. Funding for the research came from livestock and poultry industry groups.