6 Harmful Effects Of Eating Too Many Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a delicious citrus fruit of the grapefruit plant. It is a hybrid plant that originated from the accidental cross between the sweet orange and pomelo. It is loaded with essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, dietary fibers, etc., and provides many health and beauty benefits. However, there are also some side effects of eating too many grapefruits.

# Grapefruit During Pregnancy

Grapefruit helps in maintaining healthy pregnancy as it is loaded with essential nutrients.Vitamin C and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients, and polyphenols in the grapefruit protect the uterus and the fetus developing in the womb from free radical damage.

Folic acid in grapefruit helps with the brain development of the fetus and reduces the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida.Grapefruit regulates blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of gestational diabetes, often experienced during 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

# Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

Vitamin C and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients, and polyphenols, etc, in the grapefruit, protects our cells from free radical damage and reduces the risk of several cancers.

However, grapefruit can increase estrogen levels in the body ( by decreasing estrogen breakdown), and as per a study postmenopausal women who drank a quarter or more of grapefruit juice daily were 25 to 30% more likely to develop breast cancer in comparison to those who didn’t.

# Increased Hormone Sensitivity

Grapefruit increase estrogen level and increase risk of hormone-sensitive cancers and conditions.

Women with hormone sensitivity should avoid grapefruit to minimize the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers like breast cancer and prostate cancer, and hormone-sensitive conditions like mastodynia, breast fibroids, mammoplasty (breast enlargement), macromastia (breast hypertrophy), gynecomastia, and endometriosis, etc.

# Increased Risk of Pectin-Induced Asthma

Pectin, a soluble dietary fiber in grapefruit provides several benefits like relieving constipation, improving digestive health, lowering cholesterol level, regulating blood sugar, and promoting weight loss, etc.However, pectin is not suitable for individuals with pectin allergies.

If you have a pectin allergy or are allergic to cashews and pistachios, then you should avoid grapefruit as it may increase the risk of pectin-induced asthma, upset stomach, skin rashes, itching, irritation, swelling of lips and tongue, etc.

# Grapefruit And Cardiovascular Problems

In general, grapefruit is good for our heart as vitamin C and other antioxidantal compounds like flavonoids and phytonutrients in grapefruit protect our cardiovascular system from free radical damage.

Dietary fibers in grapefruit reduce LDL cholesterol, and the potassium in it relieves hypertension.Both LDL cholesterol and hypertension are known causes of several cardiovascular problems.Despite these cardiovascular benefits, there are some contradictory points.

# Interaction With Certain Medications

Grapefruit provides many health and beauty benefits due to the abundance of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, polyphenols, flavonoids, and dietary fibers, etc.

However, if you are on any medication then you should include grapefruit in your routine only after consulting with your doctor to avoid any food-drug intolerance