Grapefruit and Your Prescriptions
A University of Chicago study found that eating grapefruit could help you get more out of your prescriptions. There’s an enzyme in your liver and intestines called CYP3A that breaks down any drugs you ingest. The enzyme causes less of the medicine to survive your digestive process. But the study found that compounds in grapefruit (furanocoumarins) interfere with production of the CYP3A enzyme and therefore allow more medicine to get into your bloodstream (reference: Women’s Health, May 2008, p. 24).
I wonder if this process is effective for helping your body digest those multivitamins and herbal supplements?
Dr. James Harris, founder and chief scientific officer of Bioavailability Systems LLC, says that eating grapefruit to boost your drugs could be risky. He says it should only be used for people who are trying to fight off infectious diseases and cancer (when you are willing to risk the side effects in order to fight the disease).
So, it seems these grapefruit and prescription findings come with a “don’t try this at home” warning. But, I always find it interesting to discover how powerful food is inside our bodies. It helps me remember to really think about what I’m eating on a regular basis.
