Within the small intestines, colon, and liver there are enzymes involved in processing pharmaceutical drugs.ย

๐These enzymes belong to a family called cytochrome P450. Grapefruit contains chemicals called furanocoumarins which can alter how the cytochrome enzymes function and increase the amount of the drug that remains in the body. ๐งฌ
This may lead to greater risk of side effects of medication and can be very dangerous.โ ๏ธ
๐ฅค1 whole grapefruit or 1 glass of grapefruit juice is sufficient to cause a drug interaction with specific medications.
๐งกGrapefruit is rich in vitamin C which has many of its own benefits but itโs still important to take precaution in consuming this fruit if you are unaware of its interaction with your prescriptions.๐ก
Bailey DG, Dresser G, Arnold JM. Grapefruit-medication interactions: forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?. CMAJ. 2013;185(4):309โ316. doi:10.1503/cmaj.120951
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