Grapefruit juice is very good for the cardiovascular system.

A new study shows that drinking a glass of grapefruit juice every day will help keep your blood vessels healthy and your body protected against heart disease.

Consuming just 0.5 liters of grapefruit juice per day is enough to improve blood circulation in your body.

Scientists have determined that grapefruit juice contains a substance called flavanone - a natural substance found in citrus fruits, which has the effect of fighting heart disease.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, encourage people to regularly drink grapefruit juice as it plays a vital role in avoiding heart disease - the UK's biggest killer.

Maintaining a diet rich in fruit has long been known to have health benefits.

Researchers at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research in Clermont-Ferrand, France, recruited 48 healthy women aged 50-65 – one of the groups at highest risk for heart disease.

Drinking a glass of grapefruit juice every day will help keep blood vessels healthy and your body resistant to heart disease. Illustration photo

Half of the group was advised to consume 340 ml of flavanone-containing grapefruit juice daily, and the rest consumed a flavanone-free juice.

Results from the six-month trial showed that volunteers who regularly drank grapefruit juice containing flavanones had significant improvements in their health, especially in blood circulation. In contrast, volunteers who drank water without flavanones had little or no change in their health compared to before.

The researchers tested with a test called flow-mediated dilation, which is designed to show how “stretchy” and flexible the artery walls are. The results showed that the more elastic the arteries were, the better the blood flow to the heart.

In a report on the findings in grapefruit, the researchers said: "Regular consumption of grapefruit juice by middle-aged, postmenopausal women is healthy and beneficial for arterial stiffness. This effect may be related to the flavanones present in grapefruit."

The research was funded in part by a grant from the Florida Citrus Department.

However, patients with heart disease should be careful when drinking grapefruit juice because it can have an adverse reaction with medications being used to control high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

According to Alobacsi.vn