A new study published in the British Dental Journal claimed just two grapefruit a day pushes up vitamin C levels in the body and heals bleeding gums.

According to researchers at the Friedrich-Schiller University in Germany [Images], Vitamin C's antioxidant effect appears to increase healing in the gums.

The researchers looked at grapefruit's effect on 58 people, both smokers and non-smokers, and found that all those eating grapefruit every day for a fortnight after a main meal had higher levels of Vitamin C in their blood by the end of the two-week study.

In non-smokers, Vitamin C levels rose by 50 percent -- the amount almost doubled in smokers -- while levels remain unchanged in volunteers who did not eat grapefruit. There was also a significant reduction in bleeding from the gums among those who ate grapefruit.

'Because Vitamin C promotes the healing of wounds and boasts of antioxidant properties, it contributes to the therapy and prevention of gum disease,' reported The Daily Mail, quoted a spokesperson for the British Dental Association.