Although grapefruit makes your mouth pucker, it can benefit you in at least four different ways.

Grapefruits are a cross between an orange and pummelo and got their name because they grow in clusters like grapes. It originates back to the West Indies in the 1700s and were known as Citrus X Paradisi and only had a white filling at the time. It was not planted in the United States till the sixteenth century and is only grown in four states: Texas, Florida, California and Arizona.

Naturally packed with fiber and water the grapefruit can be a healthy choice to help you stay full and satisfied. It is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium it’s also a good source of dietary fiber along with Vitamin A and Vitamin C. The bad part, the majority of the calories is from the sugars. Studies show that adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your daily diet can help you lose pounds. They have also proven to reduce the activity of enzymes that activate cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

Grapefruit juice can have a major effect on the potency of various medications, and can cause an overdose on prescription doses. It can increase the concentration of many drugs in the blood stream three to four time’s normal concentration. The Worlds Healthiest Food website advises that pink grapefruit contains limonoids, substances that inhabit tumor growth. And a study in The British Journal of Nutrition, states that grapefruit juice seems to prevent the formations of Calcium Oxalate Kidney stones when one half to liter of juice consumed per day