Grapefruit and Heart Disease

Regularly consuming grapefruit is thought to improve heart health by reducing risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.

In one study, people who ate grapefruit three times daily for six weeks experienced significant reductions in blood pressure over the course of the study. They also showed improvements in total cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels (21).

These effects are likely due to the important nutrients that grapefruit contains, which play a role in keeping your heart functioning properly.

First, grapefruit is fairly high in potassium, a mineral responsible for many aspects of heart health. Half a grapefruit provides about 5% of your daily potassium needs (1, 27, 28, 29).

Adequate potassium intake is associated with a reduced risk of high blood pressure. Additionally, it has been shown to lower the risk of death from heart disease (29, 30).

Second, the fiber in grapefruit may also boost heart health, given that a high fiber intake is associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels (17).

Overall, researchers claim that including fiber and antioxidant-rich fruits like grapefruit as part of a healthy diet helps protect against conditions like heart disease and stroke (11, 31, 32).

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