Danger of Grapefruit

Wikipeida says, "The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree
grown for its bitter fruit which was originally named the
"forbidden fruit" of Barbados." It had developed as a hybrid of
the pomelo (Citrus maxima) with the sweet orange (Citrus
sinensis), though it is closer to the former.

The grapefruit we know today was developed in the West
Indies in the early 1700s and first introduced to Florida in the
1820s. Today, most grapefruit is still grown in Florida. Since
the early part of the 20th century, mutant strains of white
grapefruit have appeared with pink to slightly reddish color,
and have been propagated by citriculturists into several
strains of grapefruit that are now best known as the Ruby
Red. Grapefruit got its name from the way it grows in clusters
(like grapes) on the tree. There is no mistaking a grapefruit
tree—they are large with glossy dark green leaves and the
fruit hangs in clusters on the tree. Grapefruit trees are
beautiful and a member of the citrus family. It seems to be a
cross between an orange and a shaddock, combining the
sweet and tangy flavor of each fruit.

WARNING!

If YOU DRINK GRAPEFRUIT JUICE AND TAKE MEDICATIONS
READ THIS:

A cold glass of grapefruit juice is part of the morning routine
for a lot of people. What you may not realize, however, is that
this same juice might interact with drugs you are taking. The
interaction between grapefruit and some medications was
discovered by accident when researchers were looking for an
interaction between a particular blood pressure medicine and
alcohol. Grapefruit juice was used as a vehicle to mask the
taste of the alcohol. While the alcohol did not affect the
amount of the drug circulating in the body, the grapefruit juice
greatly increased the levels of the medication.

Some medications which may be affected by grapefruit juice
include: midazolam (Versed¾), cyclosporin (Sandimmune¾,
Neoral¾), lovastatin (Mevacor¾), simvastatin (Zocor¾), ¾),
pravastatin (Pravachol¾), and Thyroid medications.

Certain prescription antihistamines, such as Astemizole which
is in Hismanal¾ and terfenadine which is in Seldane¾ and
Seldane-D¾, could also be affected by grapefruit juice. With
these particular medications, increased drug levels could be
associated with arrhythmias which could be fatal.

If you are taking a medication that should not be taken with
one of these drugs, Erythromycin, itraconazole (Sporanox¾),
ketoconazole (Nizoral¾), mibefradil or (Posicor¾), the safest
course of action is to assume that it would interact with
grapefruit juice. An example of this is cisapride (Propulsid¾),
which is used to treat certain gastrointestinal problems.

If you drink grapefruit juice regularly, it would be a good idea
to inquire about its possible interaction with any medications
you may be taking or any new drugs that are added. Some
sources recommend not drinking grapefruit juice within 2
hours before and 5 hours after a drug that may interact with
it. A safer approach would be to substitute another citrus
juice, such as orange juice, which has the same vitamins but
has not demonstrated the drug interactions.

Remember that eating grapefruit or taking grapefruit
supplements may also interact with the same medications.
Some drinks that are flavored with fruit juice could be flavored
with grapefruit juice. Check the label, if you are not sure.

Grapefruit
Serving Size 1/2 cup, sectioned
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value*
Calories Per Serving 60
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0g 0%
Sodium 0g 0%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 8g
Protein 1g

Vitamin A 20%
Vitamin C 70%
Calcium 2%
Iron 0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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A study of hamster cheek pouch demonstrated that naringin
and naringenin, 2 flavonoids of grapefruit in high
concentrations, may be able to inhibit the development of
cancer. [1]

Naringenin is also found to be effective at concentrations that
are an order of magnitude below the toxic threshold in
primary human hepatocytes and in mice. [2]

SOURCE
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/grapefruit.html

[1] Miller EG, Peacock JJ, Bourland TC, Taylor SE, Wright JM,
Patil BS, Miller EG. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Baylor
College of Dentistry, Texas A&M University System Health
Science Center, Dallas, TX 75246, USA. limonoids@yahoo.com
Inhibition of oral carcinogenesis by citrus flavonoids. Nutr
Cancer. 2008;60(1):69-74. [2] Nahmias Y, Goldwasser J,
Casali M, van Poll D, Wakita T, Chung RT, Yarmush ML.
Apolipoprotein B-dependent hepatitis C virus secretion is
inhibited by the grapefruit flavonoid naringenin. Hepatology.
2008 May;47(5):1437-45.

Danger of Grapefruit
Nutrition values AND BENEFITS