Obesity Cure: Citrus Fruit Flavonoid Controls Weight, Causes Fat Loss

New research gives validity to the grapefruit diet because of its citrus fruit flavonoid. A study on the flavanoid, naringenin contained in grapefruit showed that it did increase the not only the amount of fat burned rather than stored in the liver, it also reduced the elevated triglycerides and cholesterol in the body, normalized how the body metabolizes glucose and helped to prevent insulin resistance. Of course, scientists gleaned the data from a study on mice, so the effects aren't necessarily valid for humans.

In the study done at the University of Western Ontario and led by Murray Huff, there were four different groups of mice. The first group received normal mice chow. The other three groups received a normal western diet, which is relatively high fat. One of those groups received a 1 percent supplement of naringenin, the second had a 3 percent supplement. The last group just ate the high fat diet. Of course, you'd expect all three to begin looking for a gym and new mouse outfits that fit but only one group joined the ranks of the obese, the one that received no naringenin. The three groups ate the same amount of food but the fat didn't stick to the other two.

Besides weight loss, the study showed that naringenin might play a significant role in the reduction of diseases that plague the Western world. They hope it provides a way to prevent metabolic syndrome, MetS. The symptoms of this condition are hypertension, mid body obesity and faulty glucose metabolism. It often precedes cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes.

Naringenin is in grapefruit, oranges and tomato skins. However only 15 percent or less of the naringenin ingested ever absorbs in the gastrointestinal tract. The study used amounts of naringenin higher than eating just a few oranges a day could ever bring. In fact, according to the scientist consumption from simply dietary means would be close to impossible. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat that grapefruit, the best way to receive a daily dose of this flavonoid. You should, not only for the naringenin, but for also the many other benefits from this citrus fruit. Just don't eat it and then snarf down a huge burger and fries expecting your veins not to clot and the weight to drop. It's not going to happen even if the burger had a slice of tomato complete with skin.

There's even more good news about the flavonoid naringenin. Another study done by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine (MGH-CEM) found that it binds to the LDL cholesterol and blocks the viral secretions from hepatitis C viruses. These secretions are necessary for the virus to pass the infection from one cell to another. The group believes that by combining naringen with antiviral medication, they may be able to eradicate all signs of hepatitis C from patients. This too is still in the stages of animal studies.

Besides the heavy doses in grapefruit, oranges and tomato skins, you find this flavonoid in cooked tomatoes too. Adding these to your diet may not offset the entire extra fat intake, but every little bit helps. Reaching for an orange instead of a chocolate caramel crunch bar may be the real answer to weight and cholesterol problems. Selecting dietary supplements or daily vitamins that contain the citrus fruit flavonoid naringenin is another safe way to modify your intake.