Many people on certain medications may be advised to avoid consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Why is this? Keep reading to find out all about it!
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has said that “grapefruit juice can affect how well some medicines work, and it may cause dangerous side effects.” This includes drugs like Zocor, Lipitor, Procardia, Adalat CC, Sandimmune, Neoral, Buspirone, Entocort EC, Uceris, Pacerone, Nexterone, and Allegra. The FDA recommends discussing with a health care provider if your specific drug can be affected, how much grapefruit juice you can have, and what other fruits or juices may affect your drug.
Interactions with Drugs
Harvard Health’s Healthbeat explains that certain classes of drugs are metabolized/broken down in your intestines by the CYP3A enzyme, which reduces the amount of drug that enters the bloodstream. The furanocoumarins compound in grapefruit juice can stop this enzyme from doing that. This causes the drug to be more absorbed and more powerful than intended.
For example, statin drugs used to lower cholesterol are broken down by enzymes, and grapefruit and some other citrus juices can block the action of these.
So, grapefruit juice can interact with certain medications by blocking enzymes that help metabolize drugs, increasing or decreasing the amount of medication. But of course, we know that eating the whole fruit is much better than consuming juice alone.
Additionally, not all statins are affected equally. You may be able to switch to one that is less affected.
Ronilee Shye, licensed pharmacist, says grapefruit interacting with statins only occurs with atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), and lovastatin (Mevacor). It’s safe to consume grapefruit with pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), fluvastatin (Lescol), and pitavastatin (Livalo).
It is also important to keep in mind that these drugs also have side effects themselves. For one, statin drugs inhibit vitamin D. It’s really just a matter of choosing the lesser evil when it comes to juice or drugs. Let’s go over some further side effects of those related three statins.
Atorvastatin can cause more than 20 side effects including gastrointestinal symptoms, cold symptoms, joint pain, insomnia, urinary tract infection, loss of appetite, and more. Simvastatin can sometimes cause muscle conditions like myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Common side effects include headache, nausea, stomach pain, constipation, muscle pain/weakness, joint pain, and upper respiratory infections. Lastly, Lovastatin can come with bladder pain, bloody/cloudy urine, chest tightness, cough, difficult urination, fever, headache, joint pain, muscle ache, and more. It could also contribute to myopathy and rhabdomyolysis.
There are other ways; you don’t have to take a statin drug. There is more research showing the health benefits of a diet rich in whole plant foods than there is research showing the benefits of taking statin drugs.
The Whole Fruit
The whole fruit is different than just the juice because it contains all the original nutrients and complete chemistry that juice may not. All the nutrients within fruit work synergistically to benefit health.
Grapefruit itself contains many essential nutrients that can benefit health such as vitamin C, pantothenic acid, copper, vitamin A, fiber, biotin, potassium, vitamin B1, and more!
Vitamin C helps support the immune system and acts as an antioxidant to prevent free radical damage. Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, is needed for the making of coenzyme A, which plays a role in many biochemical reactions that sustain life.
Copper is a mineral that plays a role in the production of red blood cells, energy, and collagen; the absorption of iron; and maintaining nerve cell and immune function. Vitamin A regulates growth and differentiation of cells. It is involved in embryonic development, fetal development, normal immune function, and vision.
Grapefruit contains a type of soluble fiber called pectin. According to Healthline writer SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD, grapefruit may help relieve constipation, lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, improve blood sugar, and promote a healthy weight.
Biotin is a cofactor for many enzymes involved in metabolism and gene expression. Potassium maintains intracellular cellular fluid volume and transmembrane electrochemical gradients. Now what does all that mean? Basically, potassium is required for normal cell function. It also has a relationship with sodium. Vitamin B1, or thiamin, is important for energy metabolism and in the growth, development, and function of cells.
Grapefruit also contains dozens of phytochemicals, like lycopene and liminoids. Lycopene is responsible for the pink and red colors of grapefruit. It is believed to have antitumor and antioxidant activity, fighting oxygen free radicals that can damage cells. Some studies suggest that eating lycopene-rich foods can reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Liminoids help inhibit tumors from growing and developing. Studies specifically show they may be effective against cancers of the mouth, skin, lungs, breast, stomach, and colon. Some liminoids may also help lower cholesterol.
On the whole, grapefruit can help lower LDL cholesterol, which is the same thing as what many statins are used for. Due to all its components, grapefruit supplies many antioxidant effects. In one study, people who added red grapefruit to their diet had their total cholesterol lowered by 15.5% and LDL cholesterol by 20.3%. People who added blond grapefruit lowered their total cholesterol by 7.6% and LDL cholesterol by 10.7%!
Grapefruit may also prevent kidney stones, protect against colon cancer, prevent weight gain, and repair DNA.
Good Nutrition Is the Best Medicine
Of course it would be harmful if you’re on a statin drug and you drink a bottle of grapefruit juice once a week, or even once in a while. After all, it does stop the process of the body’s ability to break down the drug and eliminate it, so it just stays in the body. However, it takes quite a bit of grapefruit juice to have this effect.
A review in the American Journal of Medicine found that a daily glass of grapefruit juice increases blood levels of simvastatin and lovastatin by about 260% if taken at the same time. So, if you consume grapefruit, you may not actually need to take so much of the medicine since it increases the body’s absorption of it. As a result, LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease risk were lowered more when the drugs were taken with grapefruit juice.
This is concerning to some, as the increased risk of experiencing negative side effects of statins increases when consumed with grapefruit juice. However, the review says the risk is minimal compared to the greater beneficial effects, such as lower cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease, and better health.
Furthermore, according to Cleveland Clinic, there are cases in which moderate amounts are safe. Moreover, there is no absolute consensus about how much grapefruit a person can safely eat while taking statins.
Whole plant foods do not increase medications negatively. In fact, you can decrease the medication you’re taking if you need to.
People take statins to lower LDL cholesterol level, but diet can also accomplish this. As we have discussed, a diet rich in whole plant foods has been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol in addition to providing many other health benefits.
Plus, It’s not just statins that people are told they can’t take grapefruit with, but it is also some antidepressants. There’s a whole list of drugs. Rather than not eating natural fruits in order to take a drug, you should eat fruit and other plant foods and adjust your medication accordingly. Think about it. It doesn’t make any sense otherwise, right?
You won’t need all those medications if your body is functioning properly, and the right chemistry can help get it there. You can fight disease with good nutrition!
The Bottom Line
There has been controversy over whether consuming grapefruit is safe for people taking statin drugs due to the juice’s effect of increasing the body’s absorption of some drugs. There is no absolute consensus; some organizations argue it isn’t, and some studies show otherwise. All in all, it takes a lot of grapefruit to stop the process of the body’s ability to break the drug down and eliminate it. Moderate amounts should be safe for consumption.
Statin drugs are used to lower cholesterol, and good nutrition and a plant-based diet can do that too! Grapefruit in particular can help lower LDL and total cholesterol levels and provide the body with many health-helping nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals!
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