Watch out: grapefruit can kill
US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Once a man discovered high blood pressure and decided to start a healthy lifestyle: he regularly took medications and introduced more fruits and vegetables to his diet. But after the man began to often eat grapefruit, he died!
Can you imagine that your usual food and medicine can start a game against you? Have you ever thought that a conflict could occur between them and your body that could seriously damage your organs?
Grapefruit can present just such a surprise.
Grapefruit. What is the story of this fruit?
This is one of the citrus fruits that has gained fame in recent years due to the fact that its low calorie content allows you to control weight. It contains a large amount of dietary fiber, causing a feeling of fullness. In addition, grapefruit is nutritious and healthy, as it contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Grapefruit fruit or juice contains furanocoumarins, which disrupt the normal function of one of the most important enzymes in the body – cytochrome P450. This enzyme is one of the proteins responsible for the metabolism of drugs and toxins and the control of their concentration in the blood. In the event of a malfunction of these enzymes, a number of drugs can accumulate in the blood, reaching toxic concentrations, or vice versa, their concentration, and therefore effectiveness may decrease, even if the patient strictly adheres to the prescribed doses.
One glass of grapefruit juice (200 ml) or a whole fruit can inhibit the function of enzymes in your body for up to 24 hours, and therefore it’s simply pointless to maintain the interval between taking the medicine and consuming the fruit.
Another problem is that the drugs, the concentration and effectiveness of which are affected by grapefruit, are numerous and are used to treat a wide variety of diseases. These are almost 50 drugs from various groups. One person can take several such drugs at once, but one glass of juice every day will be a huge obstacle to effective treatment.
The structure of the drugs and the nature of the disease for which they are intended are important, and high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and heart dysfunctions are all diseases that require stable doses of the drug to achieve the desired effect. The paradox is that people suffering from such diseases are usually more inclined to stick to a healthy diet, which means they add grapefruit to their daily diet, thinking that it will be beneficial.
Medicines, the intake of which is undesirable at the same time as eating grapefruit:
Statins;
A number of antiarrhythmic drugs, such as amiodarone;
Some antihistamines;
A number of drugs for high blood pressure, the concentration of which in the blood can increase by half;
Antitumor drugs;
A number of painkillers such as methadone;
Viagra;
Estrogen preparations, including birth control pills;
You may ask: all the problems are related to the fact that the drugs will cease to function, as it should? Although this is already a significant reason that can lead to death, there are other side effects that can occur as a result of eating this fruit in large quantities or for a long period of time in combination with taking medications.
So what could happen:
Heart rhythm disturbances that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest;
Blood vessel thrombosis;
Severe kidney damage;
Bone marrow damage;
The destruction of muscle fibers.
Five Tips to Avoid Health Problems
As usual, before you start taking a new medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist about any drugs that you are already taking, regardless of whether they are prescribed by a doctor or are given without a prescription. Since there are quite a few types of undesirable drug interactions, the best solution to prevent them is to see a doctor or pharmacist.
Herbal drinks and nutritional supplements in this case should also be taken into account, since many medicines are originally plant extracts. If you are taking them, and especially on a regular basis, be sure to inform your doctor about this.
Weight loss mono-diets can usually cause serious health problems. We advise you to reconsider your attitude towards them, because from the point of view of religion moderation is important, not wastefulness and excess.
Enter the habit of reading the composition of products on labels, including canned foods and drinks. You will be surprised, but grapefruit may be in the list of ingredients of different products.
If you are a fan of this fruit, remember that sometimes a whole grapefruit or a glass of juice is enough for a negative interaction with drugs. The fruit can affect the body during the day and even longer, in connection with which it makes no sense to maintain the interval between taking medication and food – this will not avoid harm to health. The side effects of combining this fruit with drugs are different, and they can be fatal … So beware of grapefruit!
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The article is written and prepared by our foreign editors from different countries around the world – material edited and published by Ordo News staff in our US newsroom press.
