Fruits and vegetables are key elements of a nutritious diet, but those with special drugs should be cautious, according to experts, due to natural compounds that could disrupt the effectiveness of their prescribed drugs.
Astonishing 5.3 million people in England were prescribed hypocholesterolistiles or ezetimibe statins in 2023-3, as recorded by GPS, marking a summit of all time – a considerable jump of the figures seen just the previous year. With about seven to eight million adults in the United Kingdom regularly taking statins, they have become an essential element to keep cardiovascular disease away.
However, Dipa Kamdar, lecturer in practice of the pharmacy to Kingston The university highlighted the dangers of grapefruit consumption for drugs with such orders. In a discussion on the conversation, she pointed out “although there are many advantages that can come from a healthier diet, it is important that diet changes are made carefully. This is particularly true if you are someone who takes a prescription medication, because many basic foods can interact negatively with them.”
Kamdar has detailed the specific problem concerning grapefruit juice: “To decompose certain prescription drugs in the body, the liver uses enzymes called cytochrome P450. But grapefruit juice contains chemical compounds called furanocoumarins which can block the action of these enzymes. If this is happened, certain drugs can accumulate in the body.
“This includes ciclosporin, a medication commonly used to prevent rejection of organ transplantation and manage the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and skin conditions such as psoriasis. An accumulation of ciclosporin can cause many side effects, ranging from light nausea and vomiting to the liver.” Surrey Live.
On the subject of the anti-cholesterol drug, she also noted: “Statins, often used to treat high cholesterol levels and prevent heart attacks and stroke, can also be affected by grapefruit juice by the same mechanism. An increase in statins level levels in the body can increase the risk of secondary effect, including muscle degradation, which is rare but serious.
“Many other drugs can also interact with grapefruit juice – including amlodipine (a common hypertension medication) and sildenafil (an erectile dysfunction drug). If you take one of these prescription drugs.
THE NHS Warned: “grapefruit juice can affect certain statins and increase your risk of side effects. A doctor can advise you to avoid it completely or consume only small quantities.”
According to the British Heart Foundation: “You can tell you to avoid eating and drinking grapefruit while taking certain statins. Indeed, this can increase the amount of statins in your blood, which can increase the risk of side effects.”
The health organization advises: “Do not eat and do not drink grapefruit if you take simvastatin. If you take atorvastatin, you can have grapefruit and grapefruit juice, but you do it only occasionally and not a large quantity. If you take another type of statin, the grapefruit is not considered a problem.”
Why are people prescribed statins?
Statins help reduce the cholesterol level in your blood. This helps reduce your risk of heart and circulatory conditions, such as: