Grapefruit vs Lime – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing grapefruit to lime, we picked the lime.

Why?

Both have their merits, but…

In terms of macros, limes have 2x the fiber, for comparable protein and carbs. Thus, the winner in the macros category.

In the category of vitamins, grapefruit has more of vitamins A, B1, and B9, while limes have more of vitamins E and K. They’re approximately equal on other vitamins they both contain (including, notably, vitamin C, of which they are both good sources, and one cup of chopped fruit will provide the RDA of vitamin C), so this is a marginal 3:2 win for grapefruit in this round.

Looking at minerals, grapefruit has more magnesium, manganese, and and potassium, while limes have more calcium, copper, iron, selenium, and zinc. So, a win for limes 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 isn’t very present in lemons and most limes).

Adding up the sections gives us an overall win for limes, but by all means enjoy either or both; just watch out for that furanocoumarin content of grapefruit if you’re on any meds affected by such (again, do check with your pharmacist, as our list was far from exhaustive—and yes, this question is one that a pharmacist will answer more easily and accurately than a doctor will).

Want to learn more?

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Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← citrus fruits in general make the list; they inhibit tumor growth and kill cancer cells; regular consumption is also associated with a lower cancer risk 🙂

Enjoy!