Content
Grapefruit is one of the most popular and chemically rich citrus fruits. The health benefits of the fruit have been confirmed by scientific research; nutritionists recommend including it in the diet for many diseases. However, without knowing how the body will “react” to citrus in a certain pathology, for example, grapefruit increases or decreases blood pressure, it is necessary to consult with your doctor.
Composition and beneficial properties
The rich chemical composition and high concentration of many vitamins, macro- and microelements vital for maintaining health, including those rarely found in food and not synthesized by the body on its own, turn grapefruit into a very valuable “supplement” for the diet.
In folk medicine, grapefruit is used to improve well-being in cases of high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.
With high blood pressure, the following properties of grapefruit are especially in demand:
- strengthening the walls of blood vessels, reducing their permeability;
- reducing the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, removing it from the body, breaking down cholesterol “plaques”;
- stimulation of metabolism;
- normalization of blood sugar levels;
- beneficial effect on the digestive and nervous system;
- bile and diuretic effect, “helping” in removing excess fluid from the body that causes swelling;
- improving overall well-being, strengthening the immune system.
Many substances useful for normalizing blood pressure are contained mainly in the white film between grapefruit segments.
This complex effect on high blood pressure is due to the presence in grapefruit of:
- vitamin A, C, P, PP, D, all group B;
- mineral salts (sodium, potassium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, silicon, boron, vanadium, rubidium, cobalt);
- citric and other fruit acids;
- essential oils;
- flavonoids of plant origin;
- phytoncides;
- pectin
Grapefruit increases or decreases blood pressure
The ability of grapefruit to lower blood pressure in hypertension has been scientifically proven.
This happens thanks to:
- strengthening the heart muscle and blood vessels;
- normalization of blood composition;
- blood thinning due to excessive “viscosity”.
The effect of lowering blood pressure is most pronounced when combining grapefruit with green vegetables and vegetable oils
That is, the beneficial effect of grapefruit on the body, in essence, lies in the elimination of risk factors that, in combination, make chronically high blood pressure almost inevitable. When the walls of blood vessels lose their elasticity, they thicken and their lumen narrows.Cholesterol plaques aggravate the problem.
In order to provide organs and systems with blood in the required volume, the heart is forced to “accelerate”, increasing the pressure and intensity of its “pumping”. But at the same time, it “wears out” much faster. Blood flows through the vessels intermittently, which provokes the appearance of clots that can completely block the lumen.
Grapefruit for high blood pressure is not a panacea, it is only an addition to medications prescribed by a doctor.
The property of grapefruit to lower blood pressure “works” only for hypertension. Hypotonic patients, if they do not systematically abuse citrus and do not “combine” it with certain drugs, should not be afraid of such a result.
Recipes with grapefruit for hypertension
In principle, fresh grapefruits can be consumed to lower blood pressure. The first results will be noticeable if you eat the pulp of one citrus fruit or drink a glass of juice every day for a week.
"Tropical" smoothie
A kind of “three in one” for high blood pressure: a drink, a dessert and a separate dish. To prepare it you will need:
- freshly squeezed grapefruit and orange juice - a glass;
- medium-sized bananas - 2-3 pieces.
Preparing a blood pressure drink is extremely simple. Peeled and cut into small pieces bananas are blended with juice in a blender until it becomes a homogeneous puree.
If you serve this smoothie for blood pressure as a dessert, it is recommended to garnish it with lemon or lime zest, slices of kiwi, and other exotic fruits.
Delicious and healthy breakfast
An alternative for those who need to lower blood pressure, but are tired of eating grapefruits in their “pure form” in the morning. It is also suitable for those who experience heartburn on an empty stomach and those who simply do not like the characteristic bitterness. Required ingredients:
- large grapefruit – 1 pc.;
- natural honey – 2-3 tablespoons (to taste);
- fresh mint leaves – 8-10 pcs.
How to prepare a breakfast that helps lower blood pressure:
- Peel the grapefruit, divide into slices, remove the white film, cut the pulp into pieces.
- Finely chop the mint and mix with honey.
- Pour the resulting mixture over the citrus pulp and mix gently.
Instead of mint in this recipe, you can use other herbs, for example, lemon balm, basil, rosemary, adjusting the proportion with honey to taste
Fruit salad
Here everyone can create their own recipe for lowering blood pressure on their own. The main ingredient is grapefruit pulp, peeled and diced. Other citrus fruits, prepared in the same way, and any sour or semi-acidic fruits and berries are added to it in the desired proportion. For example, pomegranates, currants, cranberries, pineapples, apples, and kiwis are good options. For dressing use low-fat sour cream. Also useful for high blood pressure is olive oil (4 tablespoons), mixed with soy sauce, grated ginger root, liquid honey (1 teaspoon each) and the juice of half a lime.
If you include lettuce, avocado and about 300 g of shrimp in the list of ingredients, the dish will replace a full meal
Is grapefruit compatible with medications?
When deciding to include grapefruits in your diet, in the presence of any chronic disease, you must consult with your doctor about the “compatibility” of citrus with the medications you are taking. It has the ability to influence the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of certain groups of drugs:
- statins;
- beta blockers;
- calcium "antagonists";
- ACE inhibitors;
- anti-arrhythmia drugs;
- antihistamines;
- analgesics;
- drugs to treat certain mental disorders;
- medications to normalize digestion;
- immunosuppressive drugs;
- drugs needed by patients with HIV and other retroviruses;
- means to combat erectile dysfunction.
Ideally, approximately four hours should pass between taking the medication and eating the citrus fruit.
The effect is explained by the presence of furanocoumarin, naringin, bergamotin and other plant flavonoids in grapefruit. They “block” the work of a number of enzymes necessary for medications to penetrate the blood and begin to act. As a result, the active ingredients of the drugs accumulate in the body, which can lead to their transformation into toxins. Their “processing” begins only after the breakdown of flavonoids; accordingly, they do not have the rapid desired effect (for example, lowering blood pressure), and the patient’s condition worsens.
Contraindications
Despite the fact that the health benefits of grapefruit are undeniable, citrus fruits will have to be excluded from the menu if there are contraindications:
- individual intolerance;
- hypervitaminosis;
- problems with intestinal patency, frequent constipation;
- increased acidity of gastric juice, chronic gastritis, stomach or duodenal ulcer;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- severely damaged or very sensitive tooth enamel, stomatitis, other diseases affecting the oral mucosa;
- Raynaud's syndrome and some other vascular pathologies;
- any liver problems.
You can minimize the possible harm of grapefruit juice to the oral cavity if you drink it through a straw.
Conclusion
To understand whether grapefruit increases or decreases blood pressure, you need to study its chemical composition. Citrus, in the absence of other contraindications and the need to take drugs incompatible with it, is recommended to be included in the menu for both hypertension and hypotension. The rich chemical composition of grapefruit provides its complex beneficial effect on the body, which is not limited to the normalization of blood pressure.
