Grapefruit
Quick Facts – Grapefruit can come as pink, red and white. It is a cross between an orange and pomelo.
It shows that it has 33 nutrients in The United States Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database basic report. If you look up the full report, it indicates that there are 91 nutrients yet has only 66-84 calories per serving of grapefruit. It is commonly grown in Florida, California, and Texas. It is considered to be nutrient dense.
Harvard glycemic index-shows the glycemic index at 25.
How many medications does grapefruit interfere with? In 2008, It was listed that 17 medications could be affected by grapefruit but in 2012, it was 43. Now there could be more than 85 drugs in total that could be impacted by grapefruit consumption, according to David Bailey, PhD., of the London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, and colleagues.. The main effect it has on medication is that it can increase the amount of medication in your system, potentially creating dosage problems.
Did you also know that other citrus fruits such as Seville oranges and limes, and tangelos can interact with medications as well?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/20/food-drug-interactions/1827229/
Please refer to the Canadian Medical Association Journal Article for a list of medications that may be medicine interactive.
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/suppl/2012/11/26/cmaj.120951.DC1/grape-bailey-1-at.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3589309/
Also, according to the FDA, the following foods can interact with medication, in addition to grapefruit.
This is not the full list, by any means.
– Licorice
– Chocolate
– Potassium-rich foods
– St. Johns Wort
– Vitamin E
– Ginseng
– Ginkgo biloba
If unusual symptoms or side effects are noted after taking medication, it would be wise to speak with a medical doctor to find out if the dosage is correct for you or if something in the diet or other medications could be causing the problem.
For more information download ‘Avoid Food-Drug interactions’ which is an online guide by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Knowing that medication and supplements can interact, as well as medications and foods can be valuable information.
Summary
We know that foods, as well as supplements, can interact with medications. Having good communication with your trusted healthcare provider will help in empowering your decisions made jointly with them when considering these interactions.
GeriTraK – Good To Know