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Since a cup of unsweetened grapefruit juice supplies all the vitamin C you need for the day, it can protect you from low vitamin C levels.ĭrinking grapefruit juice might also help with weight control if it boosts your overall juice intake.
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The researchers compared the fat burn in people who had lower-than-optimal vitamin C levels with those who had healthy vitamin C levels, and found that not getting enough vitamin C hinders fat burning during exercise. Vitamin C plays a role in enzyme function in your cells, and low vitamin C levels can make it harder to oxidize fat during exercise, according to a Nutrition and Metabolism study published in 2006. While the jury is still out on whether grapefruit can directly reduce body fat, it does offer beneficial vitamin C - a nutrient you'll want in your diet for fat loss. For example, lemon and oranges may also promote enhanced fat burning processes however, these fruits are less clinically supported than the powerful grapefruit benefits. Larger, long-term studies are still needed to know if grapefruit truly aids in fat loss. While grapefruit has been the most researched and verified fat burning citrus product, some studies indicate that other citrus foods can also lead to fat burning effects. These conflicting results mean that grapefruit might not have a significant effect on weight loss for everyone or that it might not offer added health benefits if you're already eating a healthy diet. However, a more recent human study, published in Metabolism in 2012, found that healthy people who ate grapefruit as part of a nutritious diet didn't lose any more weight than people who just ate healthfully, without a particular focus on grapefruit. And a human study, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2006, found that people with obesity who drank grapefruit juice, ate grapefruit or took a grapefruit extract supplement lost more weight over the 12-week study period than those who didn't get grapefruit.
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Mice fed grapefruit juice gained less weight than mice that didn't get grapefruit juice - even though both groups followed a diet designed to trigger weight gain, reports a study published in PLoS One in 2014. There is some preliminary - and conflicting - evidence about grapefruit juice and belly fat.
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