A recent study reveals the medicinal side of grapefruit. According to scientific experts, grapefruit can be used in the treatment of diabetes, thanks to the presence of an antioxidant in it.

Scientists are of the opinion that the naringenin that gives grapefruit its bitter taste, can do the same job as two separate drugs used in managing Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce enough insulin to properly regulate blood-sugar levels. Naringenin helps to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin. It also helps sufferers maintain a healthy weight, which is a vital part of diabetes treatment.

The blood is flushed with sugars after a meal, causing the liver to create fatty acids, or lipids, for long-term storage, according to the journal PLoS One.

Weight gain puts diabetics at risk of health problems and reduces the effectiveness of insulin. Scientists found that naringenin makes the liver burn fat instead of storing it. They said its effect mimics the action of fenofibrate and rosiglitazone, two lipid-lowering drugs used to control Type-2 diabetes.

Researcher Martin Yarmush Remarka said: 'The liver behaves as if fasting, breaking down fatty acids instead of carbohydrates.'
Study author Yaakov Nahmias from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hailed naringenin as a 'remarkable' treatment for diabetes