Through applied pressure, grapefruit oil is obtained from the glands of the citrusy fruit’s peel, explains Healthline. Fifteen minutes of aromatherapy seems to be the sweet spot. In a 2005 animal study published in Neuroscience Letters, researchers exposed rats to the aroma of grapefruit oil for a period of 15 minutes three times weekly. The study findings showed decreases in how much the animals ate as well as drops in body weight.
The researchers attributed grapefruit oil’s appetite-suppressing abilities to a compound known as limonene, which has been shown to reduce the appetite of flies when used in combination with natural sugar (sucrose), according to a 2023 systematic review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The compound may achieve this by boosting our metabolism and enhancing the transport of nutrients throughout the body, reports U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, grapefruit oil appears to activate digestion-related autonomic nerves, all of which may play into its facilitation of weight loss and appetite suppression.