diff --git a/nodeaccess.admin.inc b/nodeaccess.admin.inc
index d4fb284..7a15f55 100644
--- a/nodeaccess.admin.inc
+++ b/nodeaccess.admin.inc
@@ -309,13 +309,15 @@ function nodeaccess_admin_form_submit($form, $form_state) {
     if (module_exists('user_reference') && isset($form_values[$type]['user_reference'])) {
       $user_reference_grants = array();
       foreach ($form_values[$type]['user_reference'] as $user_reference_field => $val) {
-        $user_reference_grants[$user_reference_field] = array(
-          'gid' => 'nodeaccess_uid',
-          'enabled' => $val['enabled'],
-          'grant_view' => $val['grant_view'],
-          'grant_update' => $val['grant_update'],
-          'grant_delete' => $val['grant_delete'],
-        );
+        if (!empty($val['enabled'])) {
+          $user_reference_grants[$user_reference_field] = array(
+            'gid' => 'nodeaccess_uid',
+            'enabled' => $val['enabled'],
+            'grant_view' => $val['grant_view'],
+            'grant_update' => $val['grant_update'],
+            'grant_delete' => $val['grant_delete'],
+          );
+        }
       }
       variable_set('nodeaccess_' . $type . '_user_reference', $user_reference_grants);
     }
@@ -426,7 +428,7 @@ function theme_nodeaccess_admin_form_types($variables) {
       $row[] = drupal_render($form['user_reference'][$user_reference_field]['enabled']);
       $row[] = drupal_render($form['user_reference'][$user_reference_field]['grant_view']);
       $row[] = drupal_render($form['user_reference'][$user_reference_field]['grant_update']);
-      $row[] = drupal_render_children($form['user_reference'][$user_reference_field]['grant_delete']);
+      $row[] = drupal_render($form['user_reference'][$user_reference_field]['grant_delete']);
       $rows[] = $row;
     }
     $output .= theme('table', array(
diff --git a/nodeaccess.module b/nodeaccess.module
index 1108d2e..ee660d5 100644
--- a/nodeaccess.module
+++ b/nodeaccess.module
@@ -441,6 +441,22 @@ function nodeaccess_grants_form_validate($form, &$form_state) {
     foreach ($form_values['uid'] as $uid => $row) {
       if (!$row['keep']) {
         unset($form_values['uid'][$uid]);
+      } else {
+        if (module_exists('user_reference')) {
+          $nid = $form_values['nid'];
+          $node = node_load($nid);
+          $fields = variable_get('nodeaccess_' . $node->type . '_user_reference', array());
+          foreach ($fields as $field_name => $field) {
+            if (isset($field["enabled"]) && !empty($node->$field_name) && is_array($node->$field_name)) {
+              $user_uids = array_map('_nodeaccess_user_reference_get_id', field_get_items('node', $node, $field_name));
+              if (is_array($user_uids) && in_array($uid, $user_uids)) {
+                // We unset uid from user reference if enabled to avoid duplicates
+                unset($form_values['uid'][$uid]);
+                break;
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
       }
     }
   }
@@ -636,29 +652,6 @@ function nodeaccess_node_grants($account, $op) {
   );
 }
 
-/**
- * Implements hook_node_update().
- *
- * @param Object $node
- */
-function nodeaccess_node_update($node) {
-  if (module_exists('user_reference')) {
-    $fields = variable_get('nodeaccess_' . $node->type . '_user_reference', array());
-    foreach (array_keys($fields) as $field_name) {
-      if (isset($node->$field_name)) {
-        $old_node = node_load($node->nid);
-        // Delete the old user as it's changed.
-        if ($node->$field_name != $old_node->$field_name) {
-          nodeaccess_delete_user_reference($old_node);
-          nodeaccess_insert_user_reference($node);
-        }
-        break;
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  // Done, author permissions are not written into nodeaccess.
-}
-
 /**
  * Implements hook_node_delete().
  *
@@ -720,6 +713,33 @@ function nodeaccess_node_access_records($node) {
   // needed to overwrite an older value.
   $grants[] = $grant;
 
+  // Apply User references grants if module exists
+  if (module_exists('user_reference')) {
+    $fields = variable_get('nodeaccess_' . $node->type . '_user_reference', array());
+    $users_done = array();
+    foreach ($fields as $field_name => $field) {
+      if (isset($field["enabled"]) && !empty($node->$field_name) && is_array($node->$field_name)) {
+        $user_uids = array_map('_nodeaccess_user_reference_get_id', field_get_items('node', $node, $field_name));
+        $user_references = user_load_multiple($user_uids);
+        // Add each of the referenced users a form value.
+        foreach ($user_references as $user) {
+          // To avoid duplicate entries
+          if (!in_array($user->uid, $users_done)) {
+            $users_done[] = $user->uid;
+            $grant = array(
+              'gid' => $user->uid,
+              'realm' => 'nodeaccess_uid',
+              'grant_view' => $field['grant_view'],
+              'grant_update' => $field['grant_update'],
+              'grant_delete' => $field['grant_delete'],
+            );
+            $grants[] = $grant;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   foreach ($grants as $id => $grant) {
     // Merge missing default grant keys.
     $grants[$id] = $grants[$id] + $grant_defaults;
@@ -875,58 +895,14 @@ function nodeaccess_save_role_aliases($edit) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Insert userreference grants from a node.
+ * array_map() callback for getting the user ID from a user reference field.
  *
- * @param Object $node
- */
-function nodeaccess_insert_user_reference($node) {
-  $form_values = nodeaccess_get_grants($node);
-  // Now, append or overwrite the uid with what was specified in the user
-  // reference field.
-  $fields = variable_get('nodeaccess_' . $node->type . '_user_reference', array());
-  foreach ($fields as $field_name => $field) {
-    $user_uids = field_get_items('node', $node, $field_name);
-    $user_references = user_load_multiple($user_uids);
-    // Add each of the referenced users a form value.
-    foreach ($user_references as $user) {
-      $form_values['uid'][$user->uid] = array(
-        'name' => $user->name,
-        'keep' => 1,
-        'grant_view' => $field['grant_view'],
-        'grant_update' => $field['grant_update'],
-        'grant_delete' => $field['grant_delete'],
-      );
-    }
-  }
-  // Only do the changes if there are users to save.
-  if (count($form_values['uid']) > 0) {
-    $form_values['nid'] = $node->nid;
-    $form_state = array('values' => $form_values);
-    _nodeaccess_grants_form_submit(NULL, $form_state);
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Delete all userreference user grants from a node.
+ * @param $item
  *
- * @param Object $node
+ * @return mixed
  */
-function nodeaccess_delete_user_reference($node) {
-  $form_values = nodeaccess_get_grants($node);
-  // Now, append or overwrite the uid with what was specified in the user
-  // reference field.
-  $fields = variable_get('nodeaccess_' . $node->type . '_user_reference', array());
-  foreach ($fields as $field_name => $field) {
-    $user_uids = field_get_items('node', $node, $field_name);
-    $user_references = user_load_multiple($user_uids);
-    foreach ($user_references as $user) {
-      unset($form_values['uid'][$user->uid]);
-    }
-  }
-  $form_values['nid'] = $node->nid;
-  $form_state = array('values' => $form_values);
-
-  _nodeaccess_grants_form_submit(NULL, $form_state);
+function _nodeaccess_user_reference_get_id($item) {
+  return $item['uid'];
 }
 
 /**