Grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C and
potassium, and can be a good boost to a healthy life. But many
medications come with specific warnings against taking them with grapefruit juice. What's the deal? Apparently, grapefruit juice makes medication work a little too well.
An organic compound in grapefruit called furanocoumarin interferes with the CYP3A4 enzyme in the small intestine, which helps the body metabolize, or break down, drugs. This little interference may cause your body to absorb more of certain medications than it is meant to, including some drugs for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Usually, a safe dosage of a medication contains more of the drug than your body will actually absorb. But when grapefruit juice enters the picture, the drug may be absorbed in greater amounts, and might stay in your body longer than is safe. Long story short: stay away from grapefruit juice when taking meds, just in case. For more of the science behind this weird phenomenon, watch the video below.
Source: https://curiosity.com
An organic compound in grapefruit called furanocoumarin interferes with the CYP3A4 enzyme in the small intestine, which helps the body metabolize, or break down, drugs. This little interference may cause your body to absorb more of certain medications than it is meant to, including some drugs for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Usually, a safe dosage of a medication contains more of the drug than your body will actually absorb. But when grapefruit juice enters the picture, the drug may be absorbed in greater amounts, and might stay in your body longer than is safe. Long story short: stay away from grapefruit juice when taking meds, just in case. For more of the science behind this weird phenomenon, watch the video below.
Source: https://curiosity.com
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