Grapefruit is not only rich in nutritional value, but also helps to accelerate the growth of bones.
The School of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong conducted an experiment with naringin, a component of grapefruit, for the first time, which proved that it can stimulate the osteogenic gene in cells and make the new bone of rabbits proliferate four times, which is shorter than the normal natural healing time of bones 1 day. It is expected that this technology can be widely used in the next few years, and then it can promote healing and fill the bone loss caused by birth defects, trauma, tumors and other diseases. The University of Hong Kong is conducting clinical trials for patients with periodontal disease, and the preliminary results are encouraging.
Naringin is a chemical substance, which exists in Chinese herbal medicine, grapefruit and citrus fruits, and is also the source of bitter taste in grapefruit. Huang Yongjie, a professor at the School of Dentistry who is in charge of the study, said that the researchers implanted naringin and collagen into the damaged parts of rabbit bones. By comparison, it was found that naringin can stimulate the osteogenic gene in cells and promote bone growth and proliferation by 4 times, so it is a safe bone inducer.
Studies have shown that six days before naringin was added, the damaged bones of rabbits could not start to build bones. However, after adding naringin, protein, which is helpful for bone growth, can build new bones one day earlier, thus achieving "grapefruit bone building".
In addition to stimulating bone growth, grapefruit and related citrus fruits have many effects on human body, such as resisting the toxicity of chemotherapy and surrounding environment, promoting fat metabolism, resisting oxidation and carcinogens. Therefore, eating grapefruit often contributes to health.