Grapefruit
Fast facts
- Genus
- Citrus
- Species
- C. paradisi
Nutrition facts: raw grapefruit
One serving is 0.5 small (approx 3-1/2" dia) (100 g).
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 32 kcal | 32 kcal | — |
| Protein | 0.6 g | 0.6 g | 1% |
| Total fat | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | — |
| Carbohydrate | 8.1 g | 8.1 g | 3% |
| Fiber | 1.1 g | 1.1 g | 4% |
| Sugars | 7.0 g | 7.0 g | — |
| Vitamin C | 34.4 mg | 34.4 mg | 38% |
| Vitamin A | 46 µg | 46 µg | 5% |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 12 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.1 mg | 0.1 mg | — |
| Potassium | 139 mg | 139 mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 0 mg | 0 mg | — |
One serving has about 38% of the Daily Value for vitamin C.
Data: USDA FoodData Central (public domain, CC0) — “Grapefruit, raw, pink and red and white, all areas”. Percent Daily Values use the FDA’s reference amounts for labels.
Grapefruit is a citrus fruit grown in sub-tropical places. It is bigger than an orange and is often more sour, but many types of grapefruit have other flavors. The fruit can grow 10-15cm in diameter.
In 2007, there were about 5,061,023 tons of grapefruits made worldwide, most of the tons coming from the U.S. There are many different kinds of grapefruits with different color pulp. The most popular colors are red, white and pink. There are also a wide range of flavors, from highly acidic and bitter to sweet.
The tree which the grapefruit grows on is normally 5-6 meters tall but can reach up to 15 meters tall. It has dark green leaves that measure up to 150mm and has white flowers that grow 5cm in length.
Drug interactions
While they were doing research for a drug against high blood pressure in 1989, scientists found that its effectiveness was worse in people who had eaten grapefruit. Two years later, at the start of 1991, they published their findings in the scientific journal The Lancet. Since then, several substances that are present in the grapefruit and grapefruit juice have been identified, which cause side-effects in certain drugs. That is because grapefruit acts on enzymes in the liver, like the cytochrome CYP3A. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice interact with numerous drugs, resulting in adverse effects like:
- rhabdomyolysis (skeletal breakdown)
- myelotoxicity (less bone marrow)
- nephrotoxicity (damage to the kidneys)
- abnormal heart rhythm called torsade de pointes
- hypotension (low blood pressure)
- gastrointestinal bleeding
- dizziness
- respiratory depression (failing to breathe)
Another effect is that grapefruit compounds may inhibit the absorption of drugs in the intestine. If a drug is not absorbed, then not enough of it is in the blood to have a therapeutic effect. Each affected drug has either a specific increase of effect or decrease.One whole grapefruit or a glass of 200 mL of grapefruit juice may cause drug overdose toxicity. Very often, the fact that a drug has interactions with grapefruit or grapefruit juice is indicated on the packaging, or the usage instructions.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Grapefruit” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact.
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