The grapefruit peel is thin and juicy, and the nutritional value is high, so many people love to eat it. But did you know that Yuzu actually has a title, called "drug killer".
Grapefruit is a very common fruit in our life, it is rich in vitamin C, low fat, high potassium, high folic acid, and also contains natural pectin that lowers cholesterol, which is recognized by the medical community as one of the fruits with the most therapeutic effect. However, grapefruit with such a high nutritional value should be eaten with caution for people who are taking certain types of drugs.
Pharmacist Yin Pinpin: "Because grapefruit contains furanocoumarin, it can significantly inhibit the metabolic enzyme of CYP3A4 in the intestine, which mainly exists in the liver and small intestine, and will affect the metabolism of drugs in the liver, and will affect the excretion of drugs in the small intestine, and the metabolism and excretion of drugs in the intestines will be reduced, resulting in a large accumulation of drugs in the body, causing excessive drug efficacy, aggravating adverse reactions, and may even cause poisoning. ”
It should be noted that among the three grapefruit fruits of white pomelo, red pomelo and grapefruit, the content of furanocoumarin in white pomelo and red pomelo is only 20%-50% of that of grapefruit, and it is about 400-500 grams or more to produce adverse drug metabolism reactions similar to eating a grapefruit.
However, less does not mean no, although the inhibitory function of CYP3A4 is not as strong as that of grapefruit, it is still not recommended to eat it while taking the drug.
In daily life, these medicines should not be eaten with grapefruit.
Pharmacist Yin Pinpin: "There are mainly the following types of medicines, one is that we often take antihypertensive drugs combined with grapefruit, which will cause us dizziness, palpitation, and fatigue, and more serious may induce angina, myocardial infarction, stroke, etc. Then there are statins, which are our commonly used lipid-lowering drugs, which will be more likely to cause muscle pain when combined with grapefruit, as well as liver and kidney damage, as well as some anti-arrhythmic drugs, sedative-hypnotic drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, immunosuppressants, etc., which will lead to adverse reactions due to increased blood concentration. ”
Therefore, if citizens are taking antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering drugs, sedative-hypnotic drugs and other drugs, they should pay attention not to eat grapefruit.
Pharmacist Yin Pinpin: "Some scholars suggest that you can take medicine at a staggered time, but eating grapefruit a few hours before or after taking the medicine may still cause great danger, so it is recommended that everyone completely avoid or minimize taking grapefruit, grapefruit juice and drinks containing grapefruit ingredients three days before taking these drugs. In addition, if you are not sure whether your medication will be affected by grapefruit, you can consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking medicine. ”
It is reported that some studies have found that in other fruits, black mulberry, wild grapes, blackberries, pomegranates and other fruit juices also have an inhibitory effect on the activity of CYP3A4, so try to avoid eating together during the medication, and sweet oranges and citrus contain very little furanocoumarin, which can be eaten in small amounts during the medication.