Could grapefruit juice protect against diabetes?

“Grapefruit juice 'could be the key to weight loss’,'' is the misleading headline in The Daily Telegraph. It reports on a study in which mice fed a combination of a high-fat diet and grapefruit juice still put on weight – albeit at a lower rate than mice fed a sugary drink. Their blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity were also better regulated than mice that did not drink grapefruit juice. The mice were given either a high-fat diet or a low-fat diet in a range of experiments. Mice fed a high-fat diet and grapefruit juice had an 18% reduced rate of weight gain compared with mice given sugary water with the same number of calories as the grapefruit juice. They also had 13% lower fasting blood sugar levels. There was no effect on weight gain in mice fed a low-fat diet. Drinking grapefruit juice improved insulin sensitivity in mice, regardless of their diet (in people, reduced insulin sensitivity can be a sign of impending diabetes). Grapefruit juice lowered blood sugar as effectively as metformin, a drug widely used to treat people with type 2 diabetes. However, none of the mice actually had diabetes, so this research has little immediate relevance to humans with the condition. For the time being, people with diabetes should not swap their metformin for grapefruit juice on the basis of this study.   Where did the story come from? The study was carried out by researchers from the University of California and was funded by the California Grapefruit Growers Cooperati...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Food/diet Source Type: news