We all know that eating more fruits and vegetables is good for our health, not to mention that grapefruit can digest food, beautify the face and lose weight, so many people often use grapefruit as a fruit after meals.
Not only that, but grapefruit juice and grapefruit tea are also very popular drinks. However, not everyone is suitable for eating grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice. What is the specific reason? The following will reveal the answer for you.
First, “the nemesis of drugs” – grapefruit
Among many fruits, grapefruit can be said to be the biggest nemesis of drugs. It will not only make drugs lose their efficacy, but also turn some drugs into “poisons”, which can be fatal in severe cases. !
In daily life, for patients with diseases who need to take medicine, especially for patients with cardiovascular disease, although it is unavoidable that medicines are sometimes taken with food, this must not be the case. Includes grapefruit and grapefruit juice.
In the hospital, grapefruit and grapefruit juice have long been included in the “blacklist” of cardiologists, who will warn patients that when taking antihypertensive drugs or lipid-lowering drugs , Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
This is because many of the drugs we eat are catabolized in the liver, which requires the participation of enzymes in the liver. We collectively call the enzymes in the liver cytochrome P450 enzymes. .
Whether it is grapefruit or grapefruit juice, in addition to causing changes in the activity of these enzymes, resulting in an increase or decrease in the concentration of drugs in the body, the consequences are drug failure or adverse reactions. , but also increase the efficacy of oral drugs by increasing the absorption of oral drugs and reducing metabolism in the intestinal wall.
In more detail, the real culprit is a component called furocoumarin contained in grapefruit. Research has found that furocoumarin has a very strong effect on cytochrome P450 enzymes. It can affect many drugs metabolized by this enzyme, such as the antihypertensive drug felodipine. If you eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice at the same time, the antihypertensive effect of felodipine will be significantly enhanced.
Second, what medicines should I avoid taking with grapefruit? What are the possible consequences of the same service?
In clinical work, it happens that patients are urgently sent to the hospital for emergency treatment due to taking grapefruit together with medicines. With so many medicines, which medicines should be avoided with grapefruit? ? What will happen if I accidentally take the same service? Today I have helped you organize it.
1. Antihypertensive drugs
From the point of view of frequency of use, the most likely accident to take with grapefruit is antihypertensive drugs, such as felodipine, nitrendipine, nifedipine and vitamin C in antihypertensive drugs. Lapamil, etc., should be avoided with grapefruit, once taken together may cause blood pressure to drop too low, patients may experience dizziness, fatigue and other symptoms, and the elderly are prone to falls.
2. Lipid-lowering drugs
Usually statin lipid-lowering drugs such as lovastatin, atorvastatin and simvastatin, etc., can easily lead to liver damage and rhabdomyolysis.
3. Cerebrovascular dilating drugs
If nimodipine is taken with it, it may cause cerebrovascular ischemic attack and cause dizziness.
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4. Antiepileptic drugs
Such as carbamazepine, taking it with carbamazepine may cause carbamazepine poisoning, causing muscle tremors, twitching, rapid heartbeat, and shock.
5. Antiarrhythmic drugs
Mainly amiodarone, and taking it with it may induce new arrhythmias, and even atrioventricular block and cardiac arrest.
6. Sedative-hypnotics
Such as diazepam, triazolam, etc., co-administration may enhance the sedative and hypnotic effect, the patient will still feel lethargic the next day, and may also induce the adverse respiratory depression of sedative-hypnotic drugs reaction.
7. Antihistamines
Such as terfenadine, co-administration may induce terfenadine-induced arrhythmia-induced adverse reactions.
8. Immunosuppressants
Like cyclosporine, which increases the effects of cyclosporine and may cause liver damage and a drop in blood cells.
9. Antineoplastic drugs
Such as dasatinib and erlotinib, co-administration will also affect the effect of antitumor drugs and even cause toxicity.
Third, besides grapefruit, are there any other fruits that cannot be eaten?
The answer is yes. Although grapefruit is the most studied at present, fruits similar to grapefruit, such as honey pomelo, Shatian pomelo, red grapefruit and other orange pomelo fruits, are best Do not take it with the medicine. It is recommended not to eat this kind of fruit and drink the juice or fruit tea containing this kind of fruit within 72 hours before and after taking the medicine.
4. Which fruits can be eaten?
Of course, there are many fruits that are edible, and certain fruits can be very helpful in the treatment of diseases. For example, kiwifruit, some studies have found that kiwifruit contains ingredients that can inhibit the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme and help reduce blood pressure.
In addition, there are persimmons, apples, citrus, grapes, water chestnuts, bananas, pears, lemons and pineapples, etc., which are also very suitable for high blood pressure patients. The nutrients in these fruits It can enhance the elasticity and toughness of blood vessels, improve blood circulation, and help prevent and treat hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Therefore, we need to pay attention not only to the interaction between drugs, but also to the interaction between drugs and food, otherwise it may lead to serious consequences if we are not careful.
References:
[1] Guo Lianqing, Li Jinheng. Characteristics and individual differences of the interaction between grapefruit juice and drugs [J]. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 2002, 4(15): 184-186.
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[2] Wang Xiangyang, Cong Junfeng, Gu Shuang. Research on the inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme by 5 kinds of vegetables and fruits [J]. Chinese Journal of Foodstuffs, 2020, 20(11): 45-52.
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