Study says grapefruit can help treat diabetes

SAN FRANCISCO According to a recent study published in the science journal PloS One, eating grapefruit could help treat diabetes, as an antioxidant found in the fruit has the same benefits as two separate drugs used to combat the condition. Naringenin, which gives grapefruit its bitter taste, mimics the action of fenofibrate and rosiglitazone, two lipid-lowering drugs used to help control Type 2 diabetes.

"Chemicals like naringenin were long sought after by the pharmaceutical industry, but their development was plagued by safety concerns,” stated Yaakov Nahmias, lead author. “This is a step forward, but we shouldn’t get carried away [thinking] that eating large amounts of grapefruit will be a magic bullet — it won’t.”