Ways to Eat Grapefruit for Your Heart

According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease was once again the leading cause of death for Americans in 2009. The report released by the august institution recorded 616,067 deaths due to heart disease. While some progress has been made in recent years, doctors and researchers do not expect a reduction in deaths any time soon. Heart disease has been the leading killer in the United States since the 1970s.

Why is this? There are many reasons, but the two most obvious ones are the decline in smoking rates and the rise of obesity. While the decline in smoking rates has most assuredly been good for the heart, it was arguably even better for the cancer rate (the number two killer), which has fallen more than heart disease in recent years. And though obesity does increase the risk of certain types of cancer, it has a much more profound and immediate effect on the heart.

The doubling of the obesity rate over the past three decades has negated most of the advancements that doctors, chemists, researchers, and nutritionists have made in the field of cardiac health. What can we do? According to a recent promotional campaign, Americans should investigate ways to eat grapefruit.

Now, these commercials probably wouldn't carry much weight were it not for the fact that they were endorses by the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA has certified that the grapefruit is an important part of a heart-healthy diet. Low in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol, eating grapefruit on a regular basis can lower the risk heart disease, according to an AHA spokesman.

Of course, that could be said of many fresh fruits and vegetables. What makes the grapefruit so different? A recent study attempted to determine exactly that. Their conclusion was that the grapefruit, especially red and pink varieties, help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides in at-risk patients, i.e., people who have already been diagnosed with heart disease.

Medical professionals have known for decades that high cholesterol and high triglycerides are primarily responsible for the formation of plaque in the arteries. It is this plaque that blocks blood flow to vital organs like the heart and the brain and causes heart attacks and strokes.

How can ways to eat grapefruit help? Researchers haven't reached a consensus, but many believe it has something to do with the antioxidants. The grapefruit is filled chock-a-block with antioxidants, including vitamin C, bioflavonoids, and lycopene.

Lycopene is a pigment that gives grapefruit its color and thusly is only found in the red and pink varieties of the fruit. The results of the aforementioned study found that subjects who consumed red/pink grapefruit had higher levels of antioxidants in their blood than those who ate white grapefruit. It is believed that these antioxidants help protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart.

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