Apricot vs Grapefruit – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing apricots to grapefruit, we picked the apricots.
Why?
In terms of macros, apricots have more fiber, carbs, and protein, winning in this category.
In the category of vitamins, apricots have more of vitamins A, B2, B3, E, and K, while grapefruit has more of vitamins B1, B9, C, and choline, giving a marginal 5:4 win for apricots.
When it comes to minerals, apricots have more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while grapefruit has more calcium. A clear win for apricots here.
One final 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)
Want to learn more?
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Enjoy!
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