Gooseberries vs Grapefruit – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing gooseberries to grapefruit, we picked the gooseberries.

Why?

In terms of macros, gooseberries have 3x the fiber and a tiny bit more protein, while grapefruit has more carbs; an easy win for gooseberries.

In the category of vitamins, gooseberries have more of vitamins B3, B6, and E, while grapefruit has more of vitamins A and B9, yielding a modest win to gooseberries in this round.

Looking at minerals, gooseberries have more calcium copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while grapefruit is not higher in any minerals, making this round a one-sided win for gooseberries.

In other considerations, gooseberries have more polyphenols, so that’s another point in their favor.

One more consideration that’s not shown in the nutritional values, is that grapefruit contains high levels of furanocoumarin, which can inhibit cytochrome P-450 3A4 isoenzyme and P-glycoptrotein transporters in the intestine and liver—slowing down their drug metabolism capabilities, thus effectively increasing the bioavailability of many drugs manifold.

This may sound superficially like a good thing (improving bioavailability of things we want), but in practice it means that in the case of many drugs, if you take them with (or near in time to) grapefruit or grapefruit juice, then congratulations, you just took an overdose. This happens with a lot of meds for blood pressure, cholesterol (including statins), calcium channel-blockers, anti-depressants, benzo-family drugs, beta-blockers, and more. Oh, and Viagra, too. Which latter might sound funny, but remember, Viagra’s mechanism of action is blood pressure modulation, and that is not something you want to mess around with unduly. So, do check with your pharmacist to know if you’re on any meds that would be affected by grapefruit or grapefruit juice!

PS: the same substance is quite available in pummelos and sour oranges (but not meaningfully in sweet oranges); you can see a chart here showing the relative furanocoumarin contents of many citrus fruits, or lack thereof as the case may be, as it is for lemons and most limes).

In any case, adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for gooseberries, but by all means do enjoy either or both (if grapefruit isn’t contraindicated for you because of the medications interactions)!

Want to learn more?

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Watch Out For Furanocoumarins!

Enjoy!